I grew up alongside my intellectually and physically disabled brother, Michael. In some ways, he was like any other family member. We traveled as a family to Hawaii on vacations, went to restaurants for special occasions, and wandered around nearby shopping malls over weekends. People would often gawk at Michael when he made sounds or stumbled with his walking. My reflexive response as his protective younger sister was to stare right back at them intensely, which proved quite effective in lessening the unwanted attention. These early experiences forged a sort of ride-or-die relationship, and my brother and I found ourselves inextricably committed to ride out life’s challenges together, whatever the outcome and wherever that journey might take us.

我与智障肢体哥哥迈克尔一起长大。在某些方面，他和其他家庭成员一样。我们一家人度假旅行到夏威夷，在特殊的场合去餐馆用餐，并在周末在附近的购物中心里徘徊。当迈克尔发出声音或走路迷迷糊糊时，人们常常会凝视他。作为保护性的妹妹，我的反思反应是强烈地凝视着他们，这在减轻不必要的注意力方面非常有效。这些早期的经历建立了一种骑车或死亡的关系，而我和我的兄弟发现自己密不可分地致力于共同应对生活中的挑战，无论结果如何，以及旅程可能带给我们什么。