My Sister Offered Me $60K To Donate My Eye. When I Refused, She Called…

Olivia’s Perspective

I phoned Olivia after speaking with James. Second ring, she took up.

I recounted the past month to her: Samantha calling regularly with fresh donation motives, father and mother joining the pressure campaign, and James offering $60,000 for my cornea. I told her about Ella’s Samantha-coached weeping voicemails and calling the modeling agency and discovering Samantha lied the whole time.

Olivia was quiet as I spoke. She was shocked when I finished that they tried to tell me my eyes were less useful since I’m a coder.

The Vanity Barrier

She said I need flawless eyesight for coding as much as Samantha does for modeling, maybe more, considering I deal with tiny writing on screens all day. She called the family pressure campaign insane and wrong.

Olivia asked Samantha why she was so hesitant to donate if the organization guaranteed no professional penalties. I realized I didn’t know Samantha’s underlying issue beyond vanity and face surgery concern.

Olivia said Samantha may have underlying worries about medical procedures and was hiding behind career justifications, or that she used modeling as a barrier.

The Wrong Horse

After hanging up, I contemplated that Samantha seemed less like a monster, but that didn’t justify manipulating me into surgery. My mom contacted four days after the agency confrontation.

Her voice was hesitant and distinct from her earlier pressure. She confirmed the incident with Samantha’s manager.

She regretted pushing me so hard when Samantha lied to us. She apologized for not believing me about Samantha being selfish.

Unfixable Issues

Her apologies sounded more like she regretted backing the wrong horse. Not sorry she pressured me to donate a bodily part.

Not sad she valued Samantha’s profession and attractiveness above mine. She was sorry Samantha lied and embarrassed her.

I informed my mom her apologies didn’t fix the issue. She believed she could pressure me to donate despite Samantha’s falsehoods.

Physiological Autonomy

She thought Samantha’s profession and attractiveness mattered more. She considered my physiological autonomy optional for familial convenience.

Mom on the other line fell silent. She said to consider what I said and hung up without saying goodbye.

Sitting with my phone, I felt empty. Part of me wanted her to comprehend, but I suspected she would never.

Distorted Visions

Dad phoned the next day. His tone was defensive from the outset.

He felt I was too hard on my mom, who was helping Ella. He said, “I punished them for trusting her.”

I explained that they trusted her because it matched their vision. My needs are less important than Samantha’s; her career matters more than mine, and her looks trump mine.

Who Decides for Ella?

Dad became mad and said I was distorting things. He stated they wanted Ella’s finest.

I asked how come I had to decide what was best for Ella instead of her mother. That stumped him.

Samantha didn’t call me for a week after the agency incident. James occasionally texted updates.

The Evaluation Begins

Samantha met with the transplant coordinator to evaluate donors. Her medical exams were underway.

She discussed the operation with the surgical team. He never faulted Samantha.

I never received an apology for his pressure. He apologized for the issue getting out of hand in his messages, like this was an accident rather than a plan to force me into surgery.

The Backup Call

Thomas Clark of the transplant facility called me Thursday morning. He asked whether I would be considered as a backup donor if Samantha wasn’t right for Ella.

They astonished me by contacting me. I asked if Samantha wanted it.

Thomas said identifying backup donors was normal. Before the pressure campaign, Samantha submitted documents with my name weeks before asking me.

Family Property

She thought I’d agree if she pressed hard enough. She listed my name like my body belonged to the family.

I asked Thomas to give me time to consider the backup donor. I could take as long as I needed to feel comfortable with my choice, he added.

I liked his calm, professional voice throughout the interview after weeks of family members yelling at me. Long after we hung up, I stared at my phone.

The Realization

The realization hit me hard. Samantha put my name on the forms weeks ago when she launched her pressure campaign.

She never requested a backup donor evaluation. She thought I’d cave if she pressed hard enough.

She regarded my body like family property she could claim anytime she needed. Despite being enraged for weeks, the assumption made me furious again.

Deceit and Conflicting Feelings

She filled up formal medical documents with my details before talking to me, since she was so confident in her abilities to deceive me. Olivia brought neighborhood bakery coffee and cakes Saturday afternoon.

I told her everything about Thomas’s call and the backup donor on my couch. I told her my conflicting feelings and she listened quietly.

I wanted to assist Ella, a youngster stuck in adult troubles, but I worried that being backup would show my family’s influence succeeded.

Professional Processing

Olivia suggested something I hadn’t considered: only if Samantha couldn’t contribute medically would I donate. It wasn’t like being first or having my family force me to get surgery.

I wouldn’t have to give if Samantha donated properly. Though that made logic, I felt odd about the circumstance.

Olivia stated that was usual considering my family’s treatment for three months. She advised me to see a professional therapist about processing everything since family manipulation campaigns weren’t typical life experiences that friends could help with.

Searching for Miriam

I looked for family dynamics and boundary therapists online on Sunday. Most of the websites were generic and useless.

However, Miriam Shepherd’s description addressed helping with individuals struggling with familial pressure and guilt. Her office was twenty minutes from my flat.

I briefly told her I needed aid with a delicate family matter with medical pressure Monday morning. She was available the following Thursday, so I scheduled it.

The First Session

I’d never been to therapy. My family always thought therapy was for others.

However, this terrible issue made me rethink every familial bond and I wanted someone impartial to assist me deal through it. I drove to Miriam’s office Thursday afternoon, worried about therapy.

Her waiting room included nice music and comfy chairs. When she summoned me back to her office, she appeared normal, not frightening.

Trends and Traditions

She asked me what brought me in, so I explained the cornea donation demand. When I started talking, everything came out.

I spoke about Samantha’s first call, the daily pressure campaign, my mother’s calls about family commitments, my father’s jealousy charges, James’ $60,000 offer, Ella’s coached guilt messages, the modeling agency showdown, and now the backup donor dilemma.

Miriam probed my childhood and Samantha connection. I noticed trends I hadn’t seen before answering.