Having a sister who is disabled is not easy. My older sister has a severe disability called Cerebral Palsy, which basically means her brain does not function with her body. She cannot speak, move her muscles, and she is partially blind. However, Salyne is very smart. She can tell you her emotions by the look on her face. If her eyebrows are scrunched up, then something is bothering her. If she has a huge smile on her face, then she is happy. Simple, right? To look at it through my perspective, my sister is like a big baby. My mother and I are her primary caretakers. We feed her, change her diaper, cloth, bath, and entertain her. Salyne has had a total of 10 surgeries from the moment she was born.
When I tell someone about Salyne for the first time they say, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Well, I’m not. I have never met someone so pure and full of joy. She is my sunshine on a cloudy day. Most times, I feel like the older sister. People are placed in your life for a reason; you just don’t know if you are in their road or if they are in yours. In Salyne’s own way, she has taught me to make the most of our moments. These lessons teach you that it can be translated into a positive or negative situation.
Everyone has a complicated family. If you don’t, then wow how do you do that? Family will always be there for you no matter what. Tell them you love them, and give them a big hug. If they question why you are showing them some love all of a sudden just say, “Because I love you.” It’s so easy to express your love by saying those words. Because of her disability, it is uncertain when her time will come. Her life is an invisible hourglass. We do not know when that last spec of sand will fall down, but the sands of time stops for no one, and I am making every second count with her.