An extract from “The Sibling” by Jools Abrams You can support Jools’ kickstarter campaign to publish the book here. Epilogue: Blackpool It is the first day of October, two days shy of my brother’s fifty second birthday, when we find ourselves on holiday again, the first without our parents, and the first time we are … Continued
I’m the only family member for my brother aged 52 with Asperger’s and my mother, aged 88, who has dementia. So, if I can’t see anything about my relationship with my brother as a positive, how do I, as a great believer in the life-changing effects of focusing on positives, find a positive in having … Continued
Sibling Truths Important: This is a personal account that may/may not be reflective of other people’s experiences. There are many times when having a sibling with a disability is hard; life-changingly, cripplingly hard. I feel we don’t speak about this enough. Social media is full of posts of parents celebrating their children’s disabilities, sharing moments … Continued
Growing up with a sibling with a disability had its fair share of challenging times but also times that I cherish to this day. I can recall making many trips to London from Yorkshire with my dad and sister to visit my brother and mum at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Although I was very young … Continued
A well-meaning HR Manager once told me that she understood the difficulties I was having juggling issues with my brother’s care and a full-time job because she was a working parent and she too had the juggle childcare and work. I responded (perhaps slightly unfairly on reflection) by pointing out that as a parent she’d … Continued
I have an incredibly unique family as both my brother and sister have a degenerative disease of the nervous system. My Mum is in the last stages of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). So from the get-go I was in a world of disability, experiencing the good, the bad and the down right ugly!!! The advice I … Continued
My twin severely autistic brothers were institutionalised at the age of 7. I was 6 and our younger brother was 5 at the time. This was in 1962. I do not remember our parents explaining to us what was happening, nor why our family was being broken up. I remember that my twin brothers were … Continued
I was 6 years old and my sister, Sophie, was nearly 5 years old, when Kathryn was born. Kathryn was a really easy baby, but when it came to her two year check – things weren’t quite right. Physically she was fine, but she wasn’t meeting milestones mentally and didn’t have any language. That has … Continued
When people hear I have an autistic sibling, they always seem to jump straight to an apology… like I should feel sad that my brother has autism. Personally, I have never understood this. I love my brother more than life itself and he is the greatest person in my life. It’s hard to say whether … Continued
I am the youngest of four children to two loving and amazing parents. Two of my siblings have severe learning disabilities and epilepsy. My sister, Mira, who is 45, and my twin brother, Prasad, who is 38. Their disabilities were caused by medical failures at birth. It has been an emotional roller coaster being part … Continued