I am the youngest of four children to two loving and amazing parents. Two of my siblings have severe learning disabilities and epilepsy. My sister, Mira, who is 45, and my twin brother, Prasad, who is 38. Their disabilities were caused by medical failures at birth. It has been an emotional roller coaster being part … Continued
Shamini entered Poetry for Good, a national competition that ran in the Spring of 2021. Her piece ‘Risk Assessment: High’ was highly commended in the spoken word category. Many siblings will relate to this powerful and articulate poem, that highlights the unseen work of sibling carers during the pandemic. “I entered this competition because I … Continued
My sister is only one year older than me. When I was born, in spite of a very difficult birth and a spell at Great Ormond Street as a newborn, she hadn’t yet been diagnosed with any disability. Everyone thought she was just slower at crawling and moving than other babies. The story goes that … Continued
I remember the night my brother was born – I was two and a half and it was probably the first time I’d been away from my parents. I was put to bed at our neighbour’s house in a big double bed. I was wary of the size of the bed and the sheets felt … Continued
I’m 61, and my brother, Frazer, has a learning disability and epilepsy. He is 6 years younger than me, so I have always looked out for him. At the moment, his medication seems to be controlling things well, but we review his treatment regularly with his doctors. I feel like I have been on an … Continued
My brother Mike and I were born in the late 1960s. In our early years, we were very close as we were near in age. We grew up with an extended family of grandparents, aunts and uncles. We used to mimic TV programs of the time like Bonanza, we painted each other’s faces, we were … Continued
My parents were foster carers. In 1976 when I was 4, a baby boy named Paul was placed with us. I cannot remember a time before Paul and I grew up together as brothers. Paul has severe learning disabilities and autism. He communicates through rote behavior & echolalia learnt through his lifetime. In the ‘moment’ … Continued
After the sudden death of a mother, the elderly father reluctantly turned to his son and asked if carers would possibly help with his daughter. A lady who lives with a learning disability, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, anxiety and mobility issues. His son had spent the past 30 years working within Adult Social Care, to understand … Continued
My debut novel, Patience, was published in hardback in August. At its heart is a severely disabled woman, Patience, who understands everything, even though everyone around her thinks she can’t. It took me a long time to realise – well into the editing process for the novel, long after I’d been given a book deal … Continued
When my younger brother and closest friend, Sam, passed away just shy of his twenty-seventh birthday from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disorder that effects hundreds of thousands of boys worldwide, I began writing to him from the passenger seat of grief. What started as frantic messages on my phone during a train ride to … Continued