Jenny Alvarez, Registered Donor

I still miss my baby sister dearly...

We lost my sister Noemi Figueredo when she was just 15 years old on the operating table after open heart surgery in 1981 at Miami Jackson Hospital. I was 19 years old. Today I am 58 years old and still miss her dearly. She was my baby sister. We spent a lot of time together and even shared one bed. We are a large family with seven brothers and seven sisters. Not one day goes by that we don’t talk about her and what life she would have lived today. My parents are still with us and we are thankful for the life they have given us. Mother’s Day is just around the corner, and as a mother myself, I wish that my mother would feel no more pain for the loss of my sister. I know that our parents, especially my mother, loves all her 14 children equally, but when you have a sick child mothers tend to bond and share more time with those who need them most. I am glad my mother spent more time with Noemi because now it is my turn to comfort her and make her feel good about the decision she made back then. I have Noemi’s picture in my bedroom and when my parents visit, they both go straight to my bedroom just to see her one more time.