Today is National Siblings Day.
When a child or young person receives a cancer diagnosis, life changes in an instant for the whole family.
While so much focus is on the child in treatment, we also want to shine a light on all the siblings who show incredible strength, patience and love during an incredibly difficult time. So often, they are more than just brothers or sisters to the sick child- they are their best friends, confidantes and cheerleaders, and they too share the worry, the isolation and the hope.
Today we are sharing a very special sibling story.
Timothy Harte was just 19 when he very sadly passed away in the Children’s Cancer Unit last December, having lived with leukaemia for many years. As well as his devastated parents, Timothy left behind three younger brothers- Micah, Samuel and Ethan. Today, 16-year-old Micah shares some memories of his big brother, the time he was sick and how, as a family, they are continuing to keep Timothy’s memory alive.
When asked about his brother, Micah said:
“Timothy was so vibrant, always full of energy and fun. He loved to organise us all into watching movies or playing games together. When we were younger, we used to have great fun creating our own worlds and stories with us as the heroes.
“Timothy was also actively interested in my life, asking me questions about my day or my week on the way into school or while we were walking to the bus station. Timothy sometimes appeared very over-the-top, but he had a deep care for all his family and friends.”
When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, life at home during treatment can look very different as the child often spends long periods of time in the hospital, with one or both parents spending much of their time there too.
Micah shares his memories of this time:
“When Timothy was most in the hospital, I was far too young to understand the reality of the situation. But I found it strange to not have him in the house, and we even had to move to Bristol and miss a few months of school for him to have an important operation.
“Sometimes I enjoyed his absence (because it meant I got to use the TV!) but normally it meant that the house just felt a bit empty and we weren’t brought together often as a family with Timothy to rope us all into something. I was never really worried about Timothy because I presumed he would get better, as he always did. It was better to hold on to hope.”
In the months since Timothy passed away, Micah and his family have been remembering their brother and son:
“To honour Timothy, we’re thinking about creating a memory jar to write down some of our memories and experiences with him, and there’s already been a few coffee mornings in memory of him to raise money for charities that helped us through the whole cancer journey. I’m sure Timothy would love all the attention he’s getting at the moment, and how it’s being directed towards giving back to the people who cared for us when we needed it most.”
We are incredibly grateful to Micah for sharing his story during an unimaginably difficult time, but we are so pleased to give him a voice and recognise this wonderful, brave young man and his own journey.
To every sibling standing strong through the toughest of times- we see you, we celebrate you, and we thank you.
