The Underproduction Of A Normal Life: Rett Syndrome
585 Words3 Pages
I was five years old when my little sister, Chloe, was born on April 16 in 2003. I had always wanted a sister – someone to share clothes with and play Barbie’s with. It was everything I had wished for until one day, everything changed. I was in the first grade when my world turned upside down. Chloe was about eighteen months old when one day after school, my parents said they needed to talk to me about something very important. I had never seen them so worried; I knew that something was terribly wrong. It was on that wintery day in 2004 that I was told that my sister was different. After months of doctor’s appointments and testing, Chloe was diagnosed with a disorder that never let her live a normal life: Rett Syndrome. This is a rare neurological disorder that is a result of the underproduction of an important brain protein that controls muscle movement. Chloe can’t walk, talk, use her hands effectively, or stand; she is completely dependent on other people to help her complete her daily activities. As my parents told me this, I didn’t quite understand what it meant – everything about it seemed so surreal.…show more content… It wasn’t until other kids her age had started to walk and Chloe still couldn’t or they were talking and she could only make small moans and occasionally laugh. It was then that I got mad. I didn’t understand why I could do everything that my sister couldn’t. It killed me to watch all of the struggles that Chloe had to go through on a daily basis. I wanted to give everything I had just so Chloe could live a normal life. Little did I know that my sister was teaching me the most valuable lessons I will ever