SPECIAL SIBLING CORNER

If you are — or love — a sibling of someone with a disability, you already know we're a little different. It can feel like a lonely world some days, carrying things nobody else quite seems to understand. Friends and family mean well when they say they get it, but until you've lived it — being the one who's "supposed to be fine" while so much revolves around someone else's needs — it can feel pretty isolating.

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This resonates with me because I am a sibling of an amazing human with a disability. My sister Meghaa was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was two, and I've spent my whole life figuring out what it means to be her sister — the pride, the protectiveness, the guilt, the love, often all at once. That's part of why I sit on the board of the Massachusetts Sibling Support Network and was on the conference planning committee for the Sibling Leadership Network's last conference — organizations built specifically for people like us.

If you're looking for a space to talk through what it's like to be a sibling — the parts you're proud of, and the parts you don't usually say out loud — that's something I offer through counseling and coaching. Reach out — I'd love to hear your story.

Resources for siblings:

Sibling Leadership Network — national advocacy and community for adult siblings

Massachusetts Sibling Support Network — local support, groups, and events

The Sib Store — order t-shirts advocating for people with disabilities and their siblings

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