Inside were neatly folded clothes, an unfamiliar navy wool sweater, a sealed brown envelope, and an old silver Canon camera. I switched on the camera and discovered four photographs taken in what appeared to be a hospital room.
The first showed Mom sitting beside a seriously ill man, holding his hand while both cried. In the second, the man held a faded yellow baby blanket decorated with little ducks, a pattern I immediately recognized from the blankets my mother had knitted throughout her life.
The third photograph showed Mom standing with the man’s family, including a young girl embracing her around the waist. Looking more closely at the patient’s face, I noticed that his dark eyes and crooked smile looked remarkably similar to mine.
The final photograph changed everything. The man was holding a handwritten sign introducing himself as Sam, identifying himself as my brother, and asking me to visit Room 612 at UPMC Shadyside in Pittsburgh as soon as possible.
