My brother Jared has been an important aspect of my life since I was born. Jared has a disease called Crohns and since we found out he had this disease it has been hard for me to understand why he has this disease and why God allowed him to have this disease. But through it all, it grew me closer to God. And my brother, who was the one who was dealing with the hardest thing, was an example to me and taught me how to live my life for Christ. My brother Jared is 9 years older than me, but even with our age difference we have always been really close. I also have another older brother, Justin, and he is 12 years older than me so he left to college when I was in elementary, so for a lot of the time it was just me and Jared at the house. Jared is very …show more content…
athletic and has also been amazing at sports since he was still crawling. In high school he played soccer, basketball, and football, but he was best at basketball. When I was a kid and he was in high school, if he had friends over, he would still sometimes let me hang out with them. Which, as a little kid, I thought was really cool. He is also is a good mood and has so much compassion for everybody. Now, whenever he comes home from law school he also puts out an effort to do things just with me or just with the siblings, and he makes everything fun. Whenever we take trips with him they’re also so much more fun and better when he comes with us. Of course, since law school requires a lot of time and studying I don’t get to see him as much except for during the holidays. Around 2008, when I was 8 and my brother, Jared, was 17 and a junior in high school, we found out he had Crohns disease. This is an incurable autoimmune disease so; basically his immune system attacks itself. He had to quit all his sports when he was the star athlete of all his sports. It caused him a lot of pain until we figured out what the disease was and they put him on drugs to suppress his immune system. After he got on drugs he seemed better, he still couldn’t play sports, but he felt a lot better. So we all just assumed that he had a very mild version of the disease, until the truth was revealed to us in the spring of 2015. With the drug he was taking, it was common that the body would eventually become immune to it and it would no longer work after five years or so. Well it had been seven years so we thought that Jared had such a mild case they it would continue to work. Until the spring of 2015 when he had a severe flare up. He was in his first year of law school and was put in the hospital for 2 weeks. The medications he had been taking for seven years were no longer working. The doctors tried putting Jared on some other medications while he was in the hospital, but nothing worked. Nothing was working and the possibility of surgery became more and more real. This is when we realized this wasn’t just a mild case of Crohns. Eventually they discovered something that worked well enough. Now he has to give himself a shot every two weeks or he will become very sick again. Even now he still says that he’s never felt completely better since the flare up. Because of this disease that my brother has I got mad.
I did not understand why this disease was put on him. It made me question why if our God is so good then why do bad things happen? And I got mad at God for putting this disease on my brother and making him go through this. I was told time and time again that it was all part of God’s plan, but I could not help getting mad and feeling as though none of this was fair. Of course I prayed for healing, my whole family did, but healing would not come. Why would God not answer our prayers especially when we pray so much? Why does he still have this disease, why does he never feel completely better, why does he have to give himself shots? Why won’t God take this away? I did not understand. I do now, now I realize that it is part of God’s plan, even if we did not see it then and we still do not see the ultimate fulfillment of it. After lots of prayer and reading the bible to try to understand, I am no longer mad at God. I no longer feel angry when I am praying for healing for Jared. Even though I still don’t completely understand why my brother has this disease, I am able to live with it know that God still does love us and my brother even though he put this illness on
him. My brother, himself, also helped me grow during this time. He was the one who truly had to deal with this disease and he was being the bravest of all of us. He was an example to me of how to live life as a Christian even through hard things. After being in the hospital, he couldn’t go back to school yet so he came and stayed with us in Austin. One night we were sitting in our living room he told me one night how he realized that because of his disease he could leave our earth and go see Christ at any time, and that he does not want to stand there before Christ having done nothing to serve God or spread the gospel and that all you have done in your life is make money or had a successful career. He said that when your in a situation where you feel like you could die that you realize that that is not the meaning of life to be successful and make lots of money, but that it is to life your life for Jesus. Jared taught me this important lesson about our life and how we should live our life not worrying about worldly things, for we never know when our life may end and we will be meeting Christ face to face. Jared also helped me get over some of the anger I had towards God. He helped me understand that it was not God trying to be cruel, but that everything is a part of an ultimate plan. Now I know that it is going to be all right even though my brother still has this disease. Now I am no longer mad at God for not answering our prayers and I understand that God is not always going to give us exactly what we want.
John Jeremiah Sullivan in Feet in smoke experiences growing a connection through music, using guitars with his brother who is seven years older than him. John believes an age difference like that can make siblings strangers. This statement he provides in this story is something I completely agree with. I have an older sibling we are fifthteen years apart and it was hard connecting with her on several levels. We were never close with one another growing up because of course
person he told me he used to be; to the person he is today. I think his life is a great testimony for
My kids have had no childhood illnesses other than chickenpox, which they both contracted while still breastfeeding. They too grew up on a healthy diet, homegrown organics etc. Not to the same extent as I did, though, as I was not quite as strict as my mother, but they are both healthier than I have ever
I do not have a younger sibling, but I hang out with my sister as well as Rocco, I have the most fun with him. Rocco plays catch, fetch, races, and even tag. I love him so much and we together have made so many funny memories. Ever since Rocco has been in my life, I haven't really ever been bored. Whenever I have a disgraceful day, he will make me smile the brightest in the world, he has a natural talent at that.
What I consider to be the single most important event of my life occurred in November. That was the day my very non-typical baby brother came into my life and forever changed my view. My brother Russ is a crucial part of my being and in many ways has helped to shape my life. Russ began life with almost complete deafness and remained in his silent world until the age of three. He has also been diagnosed with an Attention Deficit Disorder, Visual Perception Deficiencies, and motor skill weaknesses. Russ required additional assistance in even the simplest activities as he struggled daily to master age appropriate skills. His disabilities have greatly influenced my role as an older sibling. Russ has definitely taught me patience which is a daily asset in every aspect of my life. He has also opened my eyes in understanding other children with disabilities.
He was the first relative I had that had passed away and since we had such a strong bond at one point, it really took a toll on me. Ever since then, I learned to really appreciate those around me. The lesson I learned has stuck with me ever since. In the movie ‘The Goonies’ and the book ‘American
Comparing it to my mothers life, she did not have the comfort of having her father advise her and help her throughout her completion of high school. I asked my aunt Mariam how life was like in her household referring to how everyone got along. She told me everyone got along before their fathers death, but after they started getting closer to each other and got more involved in each others lives. My viewpoint on how close they were can only be determined on how they interact right now. My mother speaks to her brothers and sisters often but got married at 18 and came to America, so her focus was on starting a family of her own. In my household, all of my brothers got along and spoke often due to everyone focusing on their own career. My oldest brother, Ash, who was 26 was starting his masters degree at Saint Mary 's. My 2nd oldest brother, Adam, was 24 started medical school in Florida. My other brother, Ian, was 20 and was finishing his bachelors degree at San Diego. During the last few years of my high school education everyone was moving out of the home and I was the only one in the house so we did not see each other
I’m the youngest out of five children in my family. The oldest child in my family, is Aubrey. She’s 21 years old. The next oldest, is my brother, Michael. He’s 19. The next ones are Emma and Jessica, 17 and 16 years old. Then there’s me, Ethan. I’m 14. Even though we’re close in age, we all have separate lives. I’ve wanted to become closer to my older brother. Everyone in our family gets along well, because we like to talk, and hang out with each-other. For example, I hang out with my sisters, and my brother a lot. I mostly just hang out with my brother. Me, my sisters, and my mother, like to drive around, playing music, and yelling the music at the top of our lungs. We like to go outside, and play with our new baby bunnies. We play LOTS of video games, and watch YouTube videos together. We started playing Tennis later on too. Me and my brother Mike, play Tennis together too. It’s harder for my brother to hang out, because he has college. He’s learning
I’ve seen my mother struggle, but smile through it all. She remained faithful and believed that God would work all things out for her. The amount my faith my mother possesses is amazing, and she has always instilled a sense of religion and spirituality into me and my brother’s lives. The things she have sacrificed for us is unbelievable and I have no choice but to be thankful. She has always stressed the importance of doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, education, hard work, and perseverance. Along with our struggles were some fun times. We would do little shopping errands on weekends at Target and maybe the mall sometimes. She made birthdays and Christmas worth it every year. For our birthdays, my mom made sure we always at least had a cake or cupcakes if we had nothing else. And on Christmas day, she never promised us what we asked for, but somehow she always made sure we had exactly what we asked for and more. I admire my mom for this because she never set us up for a disappointment or a “let down,” and we learned the true meaning of Christmas. My little brother, who is now 17, is a handful. He has always been a character and can definitely get a laugh out of you. Being a big sister, I had to care for my brother at times when we were younger because my mom had to work. This helped surface my independence and reliability. He has helped me become more responsible for my actions and
Throughout the years, I have had to deal with many trials, and challenges. Growing up BI-racial had a big affect on both my parents’ relationship, my relationship with my parents (which later on lead to their separation). There were cultural clashes within my household; my mother who was from Korea, and my father who was from Panama. I had learned to depend on myself, my friends, and most importantly, on God.
My parents were very influential in the development of my story. They have been with me every step of the way through everything I have encountered throughout my life. “We will always be here for you no matter what, supporting you with everything in life. God will always be there for you and he will love you unconditionally and he will support you and guide you” (mom and dad). My youth leader has been very inspirational when talking to my youth group. “God is present in all of us, whether we choose to acknowledge him or not. God will always be there and you can talk to him about anything. He does not judge and will forever listen to you” (youth pastor). My grandmother was always playing music and loved to get dressed up for church and to spread God’s love. She made me excited to go to church and spread my faith. “Believing in God is important and it can help you with everything. God will always guide you in the right direction when you are unsure of where to go in life. Always remember that you have ...
Additionally, building this strong brother-to-sister relationship of trust with my own sisters, leads my focus on the members of my family, who has influenced my character more fully than anyone else. My Dad especially is probably my greatest example of all times whose character and integrity really touched me in various ways I could ever imagine. I really admired the way he led our family with great wisdom and counsel which helped me in my hard and difficult times. I only got to spend nineteen years of my life time with him due to his passing away while I was on my mission.
The fall of 2014 turned out to be the most formative season of my life, in terms of health. Drawing on the parallels between my father’s illness narrative and my grandmother’s illness narrative and the ways in which they deviate, I hope to articulate their health experiences in terms of gender discrepancies, medical pluralism, and physician expectations. In describing these accounts, I will attempt to highlight the ways in which these illnesses affected my family’s lives. In an attempt to be healthy, my dad and I resolved to consistently begin going to the gym.
Both times when he ran away I was so scared I didn’t know what else to do besides pray and hope for the best. Even after that, with the other choices that he made all I could do was pray. I’d have to say every hard experience involving my brother has been a defining moment in my life. He has taught me a lot about life, decision making, how people work, how to deal with hard situations, and getting through rough times. He taught me a lot about me and what kind of person I am. He taught me not to take anything for granted because you never know when it will be
Well, before me of course there were my father and my mother. My mother was born in Dominican Republic but grew up in New York. My mom had 4 brothers, which now are my uncles. There is Tio (uncle in Spanish) Rafi, Tio Chris, Tio Jay and Tio Franklin. My mom said that she actually enjoyed having all brothers. She said it was to play with them and have fun. Most of them have at least 1-4 children, which are my cousins. I have a very close relationship with my cousins.