Before you laugh and before you keep scrolling down your dashboard, please stop and read this. Please.
That’s me, Heather, on the right. My sister, Emily is on the left. This picture was taken on my homecoming day, September 17, 2011. Emily is, believe it or not, 25 years old. She is mentally handicapped. Laugh, point fingers, go ahead. It’s all happened before. But it doesn’t phase her. She is the happiest person I know. She has the mind of a four or five year old. When she gets excited, she yells as a way to show everybody she is excited. She loves to show people her clothes, and get compliments. She calls every cute guy she sees, her husband. She is the cutest thing. She’s like my little sister. I’m not posting this for sympathy, because, trust me, that’s the last thing I want. Having a handicapped sister isn’t a bad thing. It’s actually the best thing I have ever been through. Sure, it’s stressful. Sure, I get tired of people laughing at her, because they don’t understand. But none of that matters when I see her smile. She is my hero. Having her ask me, “Why do people always laugh when they see us?” is the most painful thing I have ever experienced. Nobody knows what this is like, unless they do it everyday. I have yelled at and publically embarrassed multiple people for laughing and pointing fingers at, not just her, but other handicapped people, as well. I have cried for days and nights due to people judging her. The reason I am posting this is to raise awareness. Sure, it isn’t breast cancer awareness or gay pride awareness, but I want people to know what it is like for the person who is being judged due to their handicap, and that person’s family. I’ve witnessed some pretty ridiculous judgements, due to having Emily as a sister, but I try not to let it affect me, so she doesn’t notice. I just want there to be some people to stand with me in raising this awareness. I want a group of people who will not judge the handicapped, who will actually accept them, and treat them as if they are human beings, like the rest of us, because they are. If you are one of those people, please reblog this. Let’s get this around Tumblr, and help raise awareness. Thank you guys, so much.
