Desperate Choices: To Save My Child (1992)

Desperate Choices: To Save My Child Poster

Sixteen-year-old Cassie Robbins is a spirited teenage girl, who loves her father Richard and stepmother Mel and dotes on her six-year-old half-brother Willy. But her carefree, happy life is forever changed when she is diagnosed with leukeamia and her only hope of a cure lies in a bone-marrow transplant. However, when Willy proves to be a match, Mel is not-so-willing to allow her young son to undergo surgery as he nearly died the last time he was operated on after reacting badly to the anaesthetic. Mel and Richard now have to decide if it right to risk the life of one of their children to save the life of the other child. And of Willy's own rights in deciding if he should help the sister he hero-worships...?

Introduction
"Desperate Choices: To Save My Child" is an American-made-for-television drama film released in 1992. The touching film is based on the true story of a mother's undeviating determination and sacrifice to protect a liver transplant for her seriously ill child. The story unfolds in a riveting context of household bonds, medical challenges, and ethical predicaments.

Main Plot
The central characters of the film are Shelley and Richard Robbins, represented by Joanna Kerns and Bruce Davison, respectively, and their child, Willy (Joseph Mazzello). Willy is just as joyful and active as any other young kid, however is suddenly identified with a rare liver disease called Biliary Atresia. His only wish for survival is a liver transplant, but the household is deeply saddened when the insurer refuses to cover the medical expenditures due to the fact that the liver transplant is thought about an experimental procedure.

Shelley Robbins, Willy's mother, gives a difficult battle versus the decision of the insurance provider, taking them to court, however regrettably, the decision also breaks them. In a heartbreaking twist, the family understands that there are no evident donors in sight, and the clock is ticking for young Willy. Shelley decides to take a desperate action.

The Ultimate Sacrifice
Pushed to the severe, Shelley chooses to become a living donor for her ailing kid in spite of knowing the surgery's high-level dangers. The rest of the movie showcases the emotional turmoil and ethical dilemmas Shelley battles with before carrying out the treatment. Moreover, the medical fraternity's reluctance to permit her, a single mom, to undergo the high-risk operation includes another layer of tension and conflict to the significant story. Despite these obstacles, Shelley's steady decision for her then eight-year-old boy's survival is outstandingly represented.

Conclusion
In the end, the surgical treatment succeeds, saving Willy's life and bringing a tremendous sense of relief and delight to the suffering family. "Desperate Choices: To Save My Child" is a film that implements the power of a mom's love, who goes against all chances for the sake of her child. The movie is a stirring tale about the fights battled outside the hospital spaces, discussing insurance concerns and exploring the line between professional medical ethics and personal desperation.

The extensive performances offered by the leads, especially Joanna Kerns as Shelley Robbins and the young Joseph Mazzello as Willy, add weight to this emotionally charged drama that resonates with lots of households handling similar desperate options associated with healthcare. The movie acts as a plain suggestion of the tough choices people have to make when they are entrusted nothing however hope.

A fascinating depiction of undying love, psychological chaos, and the dire lengths one can go to save their liked ones, "Desperate Choices: To Save My Child" remains a poignant and thought-provoking film even after almost 3 decades of its release.

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