Sibling Voices

Siblings share their thoughts on the religious aspects of their journey as a brother or sister of a child with cancer.

"This experience with my sister's cancer has made me more active with my church and also my community. Continual prayer for my sister's cure helped tremendously. My family put up a website for her and eventually we had people all over the world praying for her with us."
-Casey M.

"At the beginning of this endless nightmare I was mad at everything. Mad at life, mad at people, mad at GOD. I grew apart from God. After all, why would I want to pray to somebody that hurt me this way? One day I decided to share these feelings I'd been hiding with a member from the church. After I emptied my last feeling to him, he helped me realize that I was trying to deal with a burden that I couldn't possibly carry alone. After turning to God to help me carry this burden, I felt peace in my heart and for the first time during this experience there seemed to be light at the end of this suffocating tunnel."
-Angel T.

"A great many people from my synagogue made dinners for my family, gave my brother gifts, and laughed, cried and talked with us. Without them, the past six months would have been really hard to bear."
- Samuel P.

"My church held a mass for the school community to offer their prayers for my brother. Fresh dinners were also brought to our house nightly. Through these acts of kindness and prayers, my brother is back to his old ways, causing trouble and being your average teenager."
-Brianna C.

"My faith was really tested throughout this entire experience. My brother was always given blessings, and I wanted to have faith that he was going to be alright. However, I was afraid because I knew how bad his cancer was."
-Tahnee B.

"What helped me get through this experience was the support from the church I attend. When ever my brother got a high fever, my mom would have to take him to the hospital and stay the night. Sometimes, it would be weeks. Everyone in the church would take turns bringing food to us."
-Angelica P.

"My father was out of town, my brother was at my cousin's. It was just me, my mother and my sister, and perhaps, God."
-Erin I.

"I didn't see how praying could work miracles. The night that I learned about my brother's tumor I began to cry. But then, I dried my tears and began to pray. I was afraid what others would think of my brother's illness. Would they be accepting? Would they laugh? Would they be speechless? I found that God was there when I needed him most, when I could turn to no one else. No one can prove that prayer affected my brother's good response to chemotherapy, but I am still convinced it is. I don't think I will stop praying now, because if I can get through this with prayer, I know I can better the world and get through anything."
-Katie O.