Everyone living with Chronic Illness and Injury knows that the help of a great support network makes a huge difference to one’s quality of life. To have your family and friends help you through tough times is a huge load off your shoulders. I know that I could not have got through my rough patch without the help of my family – they really shouldered a lot of my burdens. Everyone helped out, I never even needed to ask. That is something that I will always be grateful for.
One thing that I have learnt on the health journey is that the support of your siblings is something that can make or break your network. I love my sister, she is great pal and I know that she has a tough time coping with everything that goes on when I am sick. It scares her and talk of death upsets her, as you can imagine. It is just her and I, we have been together through good and bad and I know that the thought of going through life with out her big sister beside her is something that she cannot bare to even think about at times.
It is a two sided coin when it comes to illness and siblings. It can bring you very close together but it can also cause huge differences between you. As little girls when I would go into hospital, Maren would think I was so lucky because I got time off school, could play with other kids and get lots of presents(really?!). The reality wasn’t that, I can guarantee! I thought she was so lucky because she GOT to go to school, she didn’t have to take medication or have physio and she got to say at home with Mum and Dad while I was a “million” miles away, alone. When you grow up the reality becomes more clear to the other but there are still times when some aspect of living with illness will cause a difference between you. It is not unusual for a sibling to be jealous of the attention that a sick sibling can get. That comes with the territory. My sister and I do fight occasionally but at the end of the day, we would die without the other so we let go of things that could cause a rift.
I watched a great movie this week called “The Black Balloon”. It is about a teenage boy who is living with the realities of having a brother with Autism. It gave me renewed respect for what siblings go through when living beside Illness or Injury. “The Black Balloon” is a gorgeous Australian movie that I felt was so simple yet beautiful in its story telling. If you get the chance, check it out. It is not a sad movie, it is a funny, touching and uplifting movie.
Watching that movie made me think of the sacrifices and heartache that siblings go through when they live side by side with Chronic Illness. I cannot count the number of times my sister has come to visit me in hospital on her birthday just so I could see her open her present. And there would be hundreds of things that she has had to go through that broke her heart and she will never even speak about. It brings tears to my eyes as I write that.
Every now and then we get a little wake up call when we need to give credit where credit is due. I give a massive shout out to all the siblings out there who live every day trying to be the best support they can be to their sibling. To do whatever they need to do to get them through today. They sure don’t get much praise or credit but they do it anyway and they do it with love. So the least we can do is show them how much we love them in return.
So if you have a sibling, tell them how much you love them. You don’t need grand gestures (though they don’t hurt!), just make it a heartfelt message of your love for them. This is my grand gesture, I love my sister, Maren and will never be able to fully express all the love and friendship she has brought into my life.
Don’t wait to tell your sibling how much the mean to you, you would kick yourself if they never knew how important they were to you.
All the best, Lily
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Love this post! I love my bros they are awesome! I am sure it was hard to grow up with me being the only one with CF but they still love me 🙂