It’s A Family Affair

I’ve asked each of our immediate family to share their own words about how Braden having sickle cell disease impacts them.  Here are thoughts from one of his big sisters…..

I love these pictures of me and my baby brother. These are hands down my favorites for many reasons. When I left for college I missed out on a lot of things that you can’t see through a phone call. One of those things was my brother Braden. These pictures were actually the weekend of my grandfather’s funeral. And the first time we’d gotten to truly bond in years. In these pictures and that weekend he was a normal, carefree, CRAZY 😂, kid. It wasn’t until I actually moved back 2 years later that I saw the reality of his situation. Yes there were TONS of moments like these. But I’d never actually seen him in a real moment of sickness. And the first time I did it scared me. I still remember that unshakeable, feeling of helplessness. THIS is what families of children with Sickle Cell disease deal with every day. Fear, worry, sadness, helplessness, EVERY DAY. THIS is why my parents started The B Strong Group. THIS is why we share as much information and events as we possibly can. We want these families to know that we understand their struggles. We understand their emotions. No family should have to go through this alone. #SickleCellAwarenessMonth #TheBStrongGroup

-Ebonii (2018)