Shadow Child; My Life as a Healthy Sibling to Chronic Disease
Despite often being labeled as “lucky ones”, childhood chronic diseases take a severe toll on the brothers and sisters of the sick child. Feelings of fear, jealousy, resentment and extraordinary responsibility are common among such healthy siblings. These children and young adults often feel emotionally neglected within the family structure. Each year, thousands of families are faced with this specter of chronic disease. Shadow Child explores all of these impacts in the context of my relationship with my youngerbrother.
Shadow Child is the story of my personal experience as a healthy sibling of my brother, who was inflicted with Type 1 Diabetes when he was four years old (preceded by Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) when he was two). The book focuses on the impact that chronic diseases such as diabetes have on the families of the inflicted child, particularly their healthy brothers and sisters.