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forward—we get up and move. It won’t change the world, but it might change the way we feel about things. And once we feel different, we can change our world.
    But even at the studio there were problems.
    “We have to save more money,” I remember Mom telling John and me one day. “We’re going to have a lot of medical bills.”
    Mom had great insurance through the ACT, but even with a good job, it was hard to raise three boys, pay for Dad’s treatment, and keep a roof over our heads. Much as I loved them, it became harder and harder to justify paying for dance lessons. And it wasn’t just the lessons: there were the costumes, the travel costs, the competition expenses. It all added up.
    Thankfully, Mom had a brilliant idea.
    One day after rehearsal, she asked Michael if they could talk. Michael was very close to our family, and she could tell something had been wrong for a while.
    “Sam is sick,” Mom told Michael. “He has cancer.”
    “Oh, Tammie,” Michael said, putting her hand on Mom’s arm. “I’m so sorry.”
    “Thank you,” Mom replied, nodding slightly. She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. I knew what she was about to do was hard for her, and I knew she was doing it for me. I took her hand in mine and squeezed it.
    “Money is a little tight right now,” Mom continued. “Is there any way I can help out around the studio so the boys can continue taking classes?”
    “Of course!” Michael responded instantly. “You know I love having them here. Don’t worry—we’ll make this work.”
    Soon it was settled. Mom would help Michael with her computers, her spreadsheets, and the costumes. In exchange, we would get a full scholarship for our classes.
    This was good because Dad’s cancer was worsening fast. I didn’t know a lot about liver cancer before Dad was diagnosed, but I soon found out that it’s a pretty bad kind. Only 14 percent of people survive more than five years after being diagnosed. The best chance of surviving is to have a full liver transplant, but that means finding a compatible donor, which can take a while. A liver isn’t like a kidney, which people have two of. Everyone has one liver, and they need the whole thing, so we were waiting for someone with a healthy, compatible liver to pass on. It made me realize how important it is to be an organ donor. Donors literally save lives. As soon as I’m old enough, I’m going to register to become an organ donor. I know it’s what Dad would have wanted.
    I became totally focused on Dad getting a liver transplant. I thought that as soon as he had a new liver, he would be fixed—like when you put a new battery in a remote control. I know that’s naive, but I wanted to believe there was an easy solution to all our problems. So when the call came in early January telling us there was a liver waiting for Dad at the hospital, I was overjoyed. Finally , I thought, our lives would go back to normal.
    I was so wrong.
    Liver transplant surgery is really delicate. One inch in the wrong direction, and who knows what they’d be cutting through? They told us that Dad’s transplant could easily take twelve hours, so we packed up everything we thought we might possibly want: games, movies, books, snacks, you name it. We even had a portable TV. We were ready for the long haul.
    When we got to the hospital, they rushed Dad off to get ready for his surgery. Mom, Matt, John, and I settled into the waiting room, where we waited . . . and waited. Twelve hours went by before someone came to see us.
    “I’m very sorry to tell you this,” said Dr. Katz, our surgeon. “But Sam isn’t going to have a transplant today.”
    We were so confused, I felt like crying. No one told us this beforehand, but here’s how liver transplants work: After you’re diagnosed, your name goes on a list. Everyone on the list is checked and double-checked to make sure they’re healthy enough to survive the transplant. Unlike with other organs, it