After Twenty Years with Cerebral Palsy, I’ll Stop Dragging Her Down

Summary

A sudden fever at age five left me with cerebral palsy.

My parents, terrified I'd have no one after they were gone, had another child at forty‑five: my sister, Lena.

She was bright and innocent. At five, she pointed at my spasming arm and asked our mother, “If Willow never gets better, do I have to take care of her forever?”

The question hung cruelly in the air.

Mom had no answer—she just held us and cried.

Lena was obedient; she never asked again.

Then, when she turned eighteen, I found out she was dating someone.