For most of her childhood, the American did not notice that her older sister was not quite ordinary, but when she found out the truth, she took over her duties. This did not become an obstacle in the relationship of the girls, because the connection between the two only strengthened after the children’s revelation.
A resident of the United States shared with the hosts of the Humans Of New York project a story about her special older sister, whose role she had to temporarily try on herself. Recalling her childhood, the woman said that she had never noticed anything strange about her relative – the girls constantly spent time together, and there were no problems.
The younger sister did not understand that something was wrong with the older one. But when the truth came out, I switched roles with her
The only difference was that Tracy’s parents were less likely to punish her for her misdeeds. Perhaps everything would have continued like this if one day the neighbor boy did not call the older girl “brake”.
Not understanding what he meant, Nat ran home and asked her father about it. Then dad explained to the girl that her sister had Down syndrome, and from that moment, according to the woman, the lives of both changed radically.
The role of the older sister had to take on the narrator.Growing up, the woman increasingly understood that people treated her and her sister differently, although she herself did not feel that both were unequal. Nat was often invited to sleepovers, but her sister was not. The prom had a similar story: the eldest was not invited to the gala, but Nat and her parents still bought her a dress and took her to the event.
Tangible difficulties began after the release of Tracy from school when she was 21 years old. Due to the lack of programs for people with Down syndrome, the girl simply did not know what to do next. Perhaps, under other circumstances, she would have had the same future as another special American.
According to her younger sister, Tracy often lamented that she didn’t look like Nat. She cried when she left for college and had a pretty bad experience with a relative’s wedding, even though she was a bridesmaid. The narrator specifies that the older sister did not envy her. The reason for Tracy’s worries was her simple desire to live a normal life.
When Nat had children, it was a joyful event for the whole family, but Tracy was especially happy, because she had new friends with whom she could play.
I was glad when I saw that she had become their best friend, just as she had once become mine. I always say that we raised them together. She loved my children more than any mother.
Nat also adds that Tracey taught her and the kids a lot. For example, respect for people who are different from the rest.
The woman ends her story with a recollection of the day of their father’s funeral in 2018. Nat assures that the death of the head of the family was hard for everyone, but especially for her older sister. To support Tracy, a woman approached her after the ceremony.
