When you live with a sibling that has a chronic illness, or that is sick sometimes you can be forgotten. It's not on purpose, but it just happens.

I live with a chronic illness.

I have for as long as I can remember, and I will have it for the rest of my life. With that being said, my brother has also had to live and learn how to deal with sometimes being in my illness's shadow.

To my awesome big brother, and any other sibling who has been forgotten due to an illness, all I have to say is thank you, and this is for you.

People get so caught up in their illness that they forget how it can affect their sibling. They get dragged to doctors appointments, can't eat certain things, have to miss events, and many other inconveniences, but they can't complain because that's "frowned upon."

All I have to say is if I had to live in someone's shadow I'd want to complain too, so coming from someone with an illness I give all the siblings (my bro included) to give us a hard time every once in a while.

You are stronger than me because you have to live through what I live through, so thank you.

I am thankful that I have someone to go through life with that understands how my life is different from the normal kid. You didn't sign up for this life, but you deal with it without complaints, and with a positive attitude. Most people couldn't put up with what you go through from restricted diets to weird medicines taking up the fridge space.

You are my biggest fan and protector. If people say I'm weird for my illness, or judge because they don't know the entire situation, you are the first to speak up. Having a sibling to go through life with is honestly one of the biggest blessings in life.

Our parents sometimes forgot about you as a child, not because they meant to, but because my illness took center stage, and you never once complained.

From all of the kids, teens, adults, etc living with a chronic illness, all we have to say is thank you to our siblings for living this roller coaster of a life with us, and for never complaining about it.