Before She Fades Away

Naina was studying in her room when her mother called out, “Naina! Dinner is ready, come here.”

She quickly ran to the kitchen and asked, “Mumma, what did you make today?”

Her mother smiled and said, “Your favourite — pizza.”

Hearing this, Naina’s face lit up with joy, and she happily enjoyed dinner with her family.

Naina was a very sweet, intelligent, and lively girl. She was excellent in her studies, and her dream was to become a doctor one day and help those in need. She was the only child of her parents — their entire world. There were just three of them in the family, and they lived a very happy life… until one night.

Naina was sleeping in her room when she suddenly started coughing. She got up and went to the kitchen to drink some water. But just as she was about to take a sip, her coughing got worse — so bad that her parents woke up from their sleep. They quickly ran to her room, but she wasn’t there. Following her voice, they rushed to the kitchen, where they found Naina in a terrible condition. She was coughing badly, sweating, shivering, and the most shocking thing — blood was coming out of her mouth.

Her parents panicked after seeing her like that. Without wasting a second, they rushed her to the hospital. On the way, Naina had already fainted, which made them even more terrified. As soon as they reached, she was admitted immediately.

Three hours passed. The doctor finally came out of the emergency room — and from the look on his face, it was clear that the news wasn’t good.

“What I’m about to say… will need a lot of strength and courage to hear,” the doctor said softly to her parents. “Your daughter has cancer. She won’t be able to live for more than two years.”

Those words shattered them completely. Both of them broke down in tears, unable to believe what they had just heard. Naina’s mother fainted on the spot. Naina wasn’t just their daughter — she was their miracle child, born after years of prayers, struggles, and countless hopes.

After a while, Naina regained consciousness. She asked many questions, but her parents had no answers — or maybe, they just didn’t have the courage to tell her the truth. They simply said, “It’s nothing serious, beta. Don’t worry. Everything’s fine.”

Later, her parents asked the doctor if there was any chance of treatment. The doctor sighed deeply and said with regret, “No… I’m sorry.”

From that day on, her parents made a promise — that however much time Naina had left, they would fill every moment of it with happiness.

Days turned into months, and one and a half years passed. Slowly, Naina began to realize what her illness was and how little time she had left. Her hair had fallen, her body had grown weak — but she never let sadness show on her face. She wanted to keep her parents away  from worrying. She was brave, and far wiser than her age, 14 years.

One day, Naina went out with her parents for an ice cream. While they were enjoying their treat, a car stopped nearby. A couple stepped out with their little boy — he was blind. They, too, had come to eat ice cream. But after a few minutes, the couple quietly walked back to their car, leaving the child behind.

The boy couldn’t see them go, but he could feel their absence. “Mumma... Papa... where are you?” he cried helplessly.

Seeing this, Naina and her parents felt bad and worried for the boy. They move towards the boy, and made him calm. Her father noticed a small note clutched in the boy’s hand. It read —

“Whoever is reading this note, this is to inform you that parents of this boy, Vidyut, died in a car accident 2 days ago. We don’t feel good doing this, but we can no longer take care of Vidyut, our nephew. Please don’t try to find us, and let us live on our own"

Tears filled in their eyes as they read the note.

Naina kept looking at the boy silently. She didn’t say a word — as if her heart had suddenly gone still. Then, she turned to her parents and spoke in a soft voice that broke them completely:

“Mumma, Papa... I don’t have much time left in this world. My time is almost over. But before I go, I want you to fulfill one last wish of mine. Please adopt Vidyut… and when I’m gone, donate my eyes to him. Tell him it’s the first and last gift from his elder sister to him”

Her parents were burned out with tear with the feeling of both sadness and proud. They did exactly the same. And now, it's again the family of 3… happy, but incomplete…