Until you have seen life through someone else's eyes you will never appreciate your own.
I was 11 when my mom gave birth to David and Gregory, my family and I were in such shock that she was having identical twins but couldn't be more excited for the adventure that lay ahead. When they came home I wanted to help my mom out any chance I could, whether it was changing diapers, feeding them, or putting them to sleep I was always ready to lend a hand.
As they got older the life inside of them grew and out came different personalities of happiness, pickiness, and curiosity and I couldn't wait to teach them everything they needed to know about growing up, but I never thought it wouldn't be that easy. As time passed David and Gregory showed obvious signs of being different than the other two children my mother had raised. They would stare into oblivion, not show recognition when being called, and wouldn't speak. First and second passed and even a mama or dada wasn't said from either of them. They would, however, make noises and show enthusiasm and excitement when doing new things. My mom and stepdad tried telling themselves that this is normal, that they'll eventually begin to talk but time passed and nothing changed.
Taking her children at two years old to a neurologist is not something they ever thought they would have to do, but it was the best thing they did. After that appointment, everything made sense because both David and Gregory were diagnosed with autism.
"Autism? What's autism? Why do they have that? Does it go away?"
The millions of questions I had when I was 13 that my mother didn't have answers for. No one is ever prepared to deal with the thought of their kids being different from what society understands as normal. As soon as they were diagnosed decisions had to be made like what school will they go to now because they have to be in a special program, or what therapies will they have to go through. These decisions were not easily made but we were able to figure it out through research and lots of doctor visits.
When you look up Autism on the internet the only part that is talked about is all the negatives, never the positives. From living with my brothers I witnessed the positives autism can give and has given to my family The personalities both those boys have is like nothing I've ever seen before and it's honestly the most heart warming feeling. One of the bigger problems with autism is that these children don't know how to communicate properly with others, but when you see how hard they try and how dedicated they are it's like nothing you've ever expected. They try so hard to care and make themselves known and whenever asked a question that might be difficult to answer they try their best, not quitting until they succeed.
When I'm having a bad day David instantly notices it and asks me if I'm okay, he cares so much for other its unbelievable. Whenever I fall and scrape my knee or bang my head Gregory's first instinct is to ask me if I'm okay and if I need a band aid. They are the smartest and most dedicated people I've ever met and they're only 10. They make me want to get up every morning and run downstairs to see what they're up to, and whenever my day isn't going as planned I can just sit next to them and hear them talk endlessly about their new obsession. I honestly never knew what love was until they were diagnosed and because of this I now know that I want to become an Occupational Therapist to be there for anyone with autism that needs help.
Who would have ever thought my 10-year-old brothers would be my role models? Their perseverance and dedication pushes me every day and I couldn't be more grateful.
