My
favourite Australian show, Offspring, had been running the trailers all week –
who was going to die. Not as full on as
the ‘Who shot JR’ campaign, but if you watch the show, you were sure to tune in
to find out who.
The show
presented 3 possible characters that would not make it through to next
season. Jimmy, the brother of the lead
character Nina Proudman, was a dark horse.
While he is known for being clumsy, his story line is not really exciting
enough to provide drama. The second option was Patrick. Patrick is Nina’s partner on the show and
while he has had a stormy past, he and Nina are about to have a child together
and he is an audience favourite. The
third character was Billy, Nina’s sister.
For me, this looked like the natural choice. In recent weeks, her life has been spiralling
out of control, she has made some risky life decision and besides, in the small
Australian acting community, the actor who plays Billy is already staring in
second prime time show. You could feel the crash and burn of her character
coming.
It was a
simple bump. Patrick was crossing the
road and a car turned in to him at a low rate of speed but knocked him off the
front of the car and onto the pavement.
The driver immediately got out and checked to see if Patrick was
ok. Sure he was, he plays a doctor in
the show and other than a little abrasion to his elbow, he was fine. But was
he?
My mind was
already sensing it and took me back to that day we heard the actor Natalie Richardson
had died from a bump to her head from a low speed fall on a gentle ski
slope. Yes, Patrick had bumped his head
and was a little disoriented so sat on the curb and called Nina, whose character is also a doctor, to come pick
him up. As they drove along, his speech
began to slur and he was soon unconscious.
A frantic drive to the hospital, he was whisked off to surgery but I
already knew what was coming. Patrick
didn't make it. So there was Nina, on her
first day of maternity leave, awaiting her and Patrick’s child, alone.
A month
ago, a healthy 47 year old experienced mountaineer was climbing Mt. Rainier in
Washington State in the US. He and 8
friends summited the snow covered mountain and were skiing back
down. He caught an edge. Somehow his skis turned or he couldn't
control them in his weakened state and he plunged off the edge of the slope. His fellow climbers went to his aid, some
staying with him and others descending to get help which finally came in the
form of a rescue helicopter.
Unfortunately, the head trauma as too severe and his life support had to
be switched off. His wife, my cousin, is
now widowed and their 11, 9 and 4 year old children will not have their active,
passionate and engaging father in their lives any more.
Both in
real life and in the world of Offspring, these tragic events had a silver
lining in the form of organ donation.
Other lives have been saved and mums, dads, partners and children of
those awaiting transplants have the opportunity for many more years and
memories with their loved ones.
We often
think that life is like a TV drama and that things in life happen in a dramatic
fashion. If this were the case,
Offspring would have written off Billy Proudman in a dramatic fashion to cap
off her out of control life. But
sometimes it’s the everyday – an unexpected turn or a bump on the head – that change
the course of our lives so dramatically. The writers of Offspring have shown their true
talent by reminding us that life with its twists and turns is not about the
expected or the predictable.
My lesson
learned. Cherish those around you and be
grateful for them every day. And make sure
others are aware of your wishes related to organ donation.
