Friendships: A Motor in Life

       Each day, Brent begins to feel better and apparently his recovery is going very well. Although he knows he will be in the hospital for another few months, he feels supported not only by his parents, but by some of his friends that really do care for him. An example is the visit of Alida, one of Brent’s best friends. He thinks: “Wow, so I’m going to have a visitor. That’s weird. At least she didn’t sound scared. She sounded like she used to sound.” (p. 55) Brent thinks that with Stephen’s insensible responses, everyone in the school changed their view about him. But, as Alida keeps being the way she has always been, Brent regains the confidence that there are still people who care for him. This idea encourages him to keep fighting for his goal of full recovery. Sometimes, it is better to learn how to struggle on your own to be able to face the truth of reality, where it is up to you to find your way to success. But, being at such a young age, knowing that your friends still remember you and getting that valuable support gives you the motivation that people are outside waiting for you.

       I found it very interesting to see how the news of Brent’s situation spread so rapidly among the media. He is very surprised when Carol tells him “…she’s coming to tour the hospital and you’re one of the planned stops.” (p. 57) The first lady of Poland was coming to visit Brent. For me, that was certainly an unexpected event. This also shows the gravity of the wounds Brent suffered and how his recovery has been one of the top headlines in the state. This also makes Brent feel good. Knowing that even the most important people in a country come to visit him surely makes one feel useful and important. People not only like Brent, they admire him. It is now not a matter of why he committed suicide, but a matter of how he has fought throughout his recovery and is very close now to be almost as he was before the accident.

       The only one who continues to dig in the suicide attempt from that point of view is Dr. Rubinstein. Brent describes his feelings when he says that “Dr. Rubinstein is here again with her annoying voice. I really don’t like her. I really don’t.” (p. 61) I believe this is the reason why Brent hates her so much. This also happens to me. When I have struggled with a problem and am able to recover, what I like to talk about and explain is my process through the recovery and how I did to achieve my goals, not about the problem itself. The people who keep bringing up the topic make you feel like a dreadful victim and do not value your efforts to regain what you lost. Will Brent be able to fully recover mentally from the issue? Will his life at school change when he gets out? Brent has definitely fought to recover, and is doing very well up to now. But, one thing is the physical recovery inside the hospital, and another very different is the emotional recovery outside, where it is up to his friends to make him feel important and valuable.