When I was in the fourth grade my parents told my siblings and I that we were getting a new brother or sister.

This new little sibling was not coming from my mother, but instead, from a close family friend who just got caught up in the wrong situation.

I remember after the ultrasound when they announced it was a boy. Just what I needed- another brother. Great. *insert sarcasm*

All types of people would bring us gifts and toys for my soon to be baby brother, Cainan Luke.

My dad received the call that the child's mother was going into labor one Sunday morning while we were standing in church. The whole family ran home, got all of the stuff we needed for the baby, and sped to the hospital.

Along the way, my dad got a phone call from his best friend, the mother's uncle, who said, "You may want to stop at Walmart on your way and get some pink stuff." Mind you, both my dad and his best friend are pranksters, so naturally, my dad thought that he was joking. "Nope, I'm not joking. It's really a girl, you need to go to the store before you come." So, we did. Now- I'm excited.

That is the day I gained a new, little sister, Chloe Abigail. But, the story is only beginning.

I was a baby hog. for MONTHS, I will admit it. She was so tiny, I couldn't help it. Unfortunately, one day, I got some kind of sickness. My mom told me to stay away from her so I didn't get her sick, but I'm very rebellious so I didn't listen.

Yep. You guessed it! I got her sick.

My mom took my little Chloe to our small-town local family doctor who worked out of an old house on Main Street in good ole Cadiz, KY.

During her examination, the doctor thought there was something wrong with Chloe that went farther than just the sickness I gave her, so she ran some tests and sent us all home.

The test results came back and my mom got a call during the day, "you need to take Chloe to the hospital right now. I will meet you there."

Dr. Galla told us that the results showed that Chloe was missing her left heart ventricle. (Dad always said it's because he has a whole heart and mom has no heart so in turn they have a child with half of a heart. Makes sense.) She also told us that if she hadn't found it, within the next month, Chloe probably would have died. So, yes, you can say I am accredited to saving her life, save your applause until the end, please.

The rest is a blur to me because I was so young but before long we were in-and-out of doctors offices and hospitals and then, my parents scheduled her very first open heart surgery.

I remember the doctor coming in the room (yeah, I was in there, baby hog- remember?) and giving my parents the, "we will do everything we can but you need to be aware that there is a possibility that we may not be able to successfully complete the procedure and she may not make it." To be honest, I didn't hear much more after that because of my mother's extreme whaling beside me, but I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to comprehend all that medical terminology at age nine, anyways.

The day of Chloe's heart surgery I was forced to go to school, still salty about that, by the way. But, I had a test in the computer lab for Mrs. Amy Carneyhan's class and I'll tell ya what, I just straight up failed it because I couldn't focus. The phone to the computer lab rang and she answered it, and came over to me to talk.

"I know you have a lot going on today, I won't put your test score in the grade book, don't worry. Also, your dad just called, Chloe just got out of surgery and she's doing very good. I am praying for you and your family."

Mrs. Carneyhan, I will never forget that moment for as long as I live. Thank you.

I got to go to Kosair's Children's Hospital, get some McDonald's and see my baby sista.

I remember her surgeon and the nurses falling in love with her after her first, and second heart surgery, and her having them wrapped around her little finger. She would even sit at the front desk and play with the phones! What a gal.

Fast forward a little bit, something still wasn't right. She wasn't developing at the same rate as other kids her age.

Another doctor's visit and tests and she was diagnosed with autism.

Can this girl not get a break? Please?

My parents put her in speech pathology to help her become more verbal, and guess what? Now, she doesn't shut up. Fo-real.

The "triplets"

Chloe turned ten this summer, but she is quite literally going on twenty, just like Bethany and I. We have transformed from twins, to triplets.

Mom says, "I must have done SOMETHING right! I've been pregnant twice and I have four kids!"

Anywho, if you have ever met Chloe, you know she is a bright of ornery sunshine everywhere she goes.

She is a miracle baby and the biggest blessing.

So thankful for the past ten years I've had with my sister.

But, if she could not be literally almost as tall as me at ten years old, that'd be really nice, too.