Personal Narrative: A Change In Perspective

A Change in Perspective

Over the course of about six months my sister’s health began to rapidly deteriorate to the point where she began to look like a walking corpse. I was only in sixth grade and never fully understood the severity of her unknown illness. I never thought that her scraggly brown hair, exposed ribs, and extensive bed rest was becoming a massive problem, I just thought she was losing weight and needed to eat more. My family finally had and answer during early March 2013.
In the days prior, I was struck with a stomach virus which induced vomiting and fever. While this was happening, I thought I had the worst luck in the whole world. Meanwhile, My sister, Rachel, was beginning a cleanse for a test she would have the following

morning. She could only drink liquids, and at one point they had to be all clear. I did not understand why she would ask me to bring her things to her room while I was sick myself. This made me feel very frustrated and upset that she did not seem to notice my ailments at all. But, I felt obligated to do what she told me to because what I did understand was that she was very sad and in pain.
The next day I stayed home from school, and woke up to an almost empty house. The only person home was my dad and he had to return to work in a few hours. Then, I was all alone with only my two Labrador Retrievers to keep me company. At that point I began to grow very anxious about what was happening to my sister; it seemed to have been days since I last saw her. The next thing I know as I was watching Scooby Doo reruns on the television on the couch, my mom burst throughout the door. We finally had an answer.
“Its Crohns!” she yelled to nobody. Then, she sat at the kitchen table and cried. I do not think she knew I was there because she is always so strong around me and Rachel. Rachel then strolled into the kitchen through the garage, and grabbed my peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the refrigerator, she seemed completely unfazed. The next few hours were almost normal except for the looming stack of papers that I read while nobody was around. It listed all of the foods that Rachel was not allowed to eat and what was recommended. Still, I did not realize how drastic the situation was because I thought it was something that could be cured with a prescription and thought that my family should still be focused on me.
Later that day, on the way to get my homework from school, my mom explained what Crohns was. Crohns is an incurable disease that someone obtains through genetics and is born with. It causes severe abdominal pain, nutritional deficiencies, and in some cases intestinal ulcers. At that moment, I realized how much Rachel had been suffering, and immediately regret what I thought when I was ill. The instant I returned home I found my sister, hugged her, and would not let go. I now know that some people’s problems are bigger than my own. This changed me into who I am today because now I am more compassionate and understanding to people who struggle with any sort of issue. As Dali Lama once said, “ If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”