My story – Madeline
Family relationships have been affected significantly by my health condition. Specifically, my relationship with my brother. I have a younger brother, we are 3 years apart. I started showing EDS symptoms at the age of 12 and things only progressed from there. My brother was unfortunately something called a glass child. A glass child is the sibling of a child with either a disability or medical condition that doesn’t get what they need from their parents. This is because their parents are focused on attending to the child with complex medical needs. It is no one’s fault as my health situation was life threatening and my parents had no choice but to put their time and energy into me to keep me alive.
Unfortunately, my brother was experiencing the trauma of watching his sister be so sick and didn’t have the emotional support he needed from my parents. This has put a dent in our relationship – he resents the fact that I am sick and gets upset whenever I am in a flare. Our relationship is quite strained as I believe he holds on to a lot of anger towards me and I carry just as much guilt. Unfortunately, my story is not uncommon familial relationships are often damaged when a person is seriously ill with no cure in sight. It is a devastating thing for not only us to go through but our families.