Everything my unwell brother inspires me to be

The meaning of the word, inspire is to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something.

Everyone at some point in their life is inspired to do something by someone. In my case, it was my brother, Rory and by something, I mean that he inspires me to do something in every aspect of my life. It can be crazy to think that someone so unexpected could come into your life and completely change how you see everything but it is what happened to me.

Rory has inspired me in so many ways. Some I never even realised he would until I sat down and thought about all the times that Rory crossed my mind while doing something. He has inspired me to be…

Be Brave. Through Rory, we have not only seen first hand, the amazing things that the NHS and hospitals do but also the other children that they care for. Watching brave children and their parents handle such awful situations with ease. the bravery that some families have, I would have never realised that we can be brave like that too when Rory is so unwell. We have seen families be broken by illness but at the same time, we have seen families become stronger. I am going to be honest, while in hospital recovering from my emergency C-section all I could think of was that Rory had a major operation on his bowels at 3 days old. He didn’t understand what was happening and took it with ease. So I can too. He taught me to be brave even in the toughest situations.

Be Bold. Whatever opportunities come up, do it and have as much fun as possible. There will be times in life that I experience things that Rory can’t. Because of that, I will do everything I can. Rory has opened so many doors that lead to amazing opportunities for me so I will do whatever life throws at me and I will do whilst being a Down Syndrome Advocate. Life is too short to say no, have fun and make as many incredible memories as possible. 7 years ago when I left high school, I would never have thought I would be in this position. It never would have even crossed my mind to become a Down Syndrome Advocate and organise local events to spread awareness.

Be Unique. Living in little village has taught me many things but the main thing is to be yourself and be unique and even more so since Rory was born. Break the mould. You will be surprised at how many friends you will meet from just being yourself. It is easier to be yourself then to be something everyone else wants you to be. Rory has inspired me to speak out more. If someone doesn’t like the fact that you’re unique then ignore them and put your head high. You don’t need to worry about the people who simply don’t get you.

Be Kind. This stems from the hateful comments that you can come across, more so on the internet. There seems to be a group of people who like to hide behind a screen and bully and abuse people with disabilities online. Also known as trolls. For every hateful comment you see, leave a kind one for someone else. It can be a tough time for families who have just received the diagnosis of Down Syndrome. There is a lot of stigma and old opinions so if I have the opportunities to help a family out and be kind then I will.

Be a better mum. At the same time as becoming a sister to a brother with Down Syndrome, I also became a mum. 17 days difference believe it or not. I was adjusting to being a mummy then had to adjust to being a sister with a very unwell brother. But it has shown me that I can teach my children how to be the best person they can be. I will try my hardest to show them that a person with Down Syndrome is the same as us. I will teach them to stand out and speak up for people who can’t. I will be able to teach them thing that I wouldn’t be able to or wouldn’t even think about if I didn’t have Rory has a brother.