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“Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust”—Erica E. Goode |
Brielle and Kyrie Jackson were born prematurely. While they had spent months together in their mother’s womb, now at birth the two tiny girls were placed in separate incubators to reduce the risk of infection. Kyrie, the larger of the two, weighed only two pounds three ounces. She began gaining weight and strength immediately. But Brielle struggled. Soon her condition worsened. As Brielle’s blood oxygen level plummeted and her heart rate soared the intensive care nurse fought to save her. As she met with Brielle’s worried parents she offered one final suggestion to save their daughter. “Let me just try putting Brielle in with her sister to see if that helps.” The parents consented and the nurse placed the squirming Brielle in Kyrie’s incubator. Brielle snuggled next to her sister and stopped squirming. Within minutes her blood oxygen levels improved and her heart rate subsided. As Brielle dozed peacefully Kyrie wrapped her tiny arm around her smaller sister.
This miraculous story is taken from an article by Nancy Sheehan entitled “A Sister’s Helping Hand” in the May 1996 issue of the Reader’s Digest at pages 155-56.
As I have pondered on the power of sibling relationships, for good or for ill, this story gives me great hope that no matter what our age or circumstances, if we can just maintain positive contact with our siblings, we will be strengthened and helped throughout our life journey. May you be a Kyrie for the Brielles in your life. And may there always be a Kyrie wrapping her/his loving arm around you.
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“I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at”—Maya Angelou |