family emergency

[Guest guest]

My complicated family has just got more complicated. My twin sister (who I don't

talk to often as she can act a lot like nada) has called me to let me know that

one of her boys (2yrs old) had an accident a few days ago, and as a result is

paralysed. He had a fall, was taken to hospital, and the doctors have found that

he has a rare bone disorder that has causes some of his bones to grow faster

than others. The vertebrae holding his skull to his spine are too small –

strangling his spinal cord, hence his paralysis when he got a bad knock. He is

going in for surgery later this week to widen the hole in the vertebrae to take

the pressure off his spinal column, and to brace his vertebrae so he doesn't

brake his neck as he grows older and heavier. He should hopefully be able to

walk, but will suffer complications of this disorder in his legs and spine for

life.

The docs say it is genetic, and asked my sister has been asked to try to find

where it has been passed from – so she rang nada. Mum didn't care that her

grandson was in hospital, or that my sister is distraught and under so much

stress – she got offended that it was suggested that she may have carried the

gene responsible. She began screaming at my sister that it must be " something

your father caught " and is treating it as a dirty, contagious disease that she

is too perfect to be associated with. She forbade my sister to call our

grandmother to ask questions as it would be insulting (I told her to go ahead

anyway, as nana may actually have useful information). That made me very sad – I

don't get along with this particular sister very well, but she doesn't deserve

that treatment when she is so worried about her son.

I know nada – she will stew on this for about 12 hours, then she will either a)

jump on a plane and turn up to save the day/take over, or b)send my sister some

money and hope it magically " goes away " while harassing the rest of us on the

phone for the next few weeks. If she does turn up, she will make the doctors

lives hell as she is paranoid of them and will think they are deliberately

making the child sick.

I generally stay the hell away from family drama, as I figure they are all big

enough and ugly enough to look after themselves, but I think this is a case

where I have to try to give my sister support and help where I can. My sister

doesn't have many friends. I can handle it – as long as mum doesn't arrive, but

even then, I think Id be willing to " sacrifice myself " to keep mum away from my

sister at least some of the time so she doesn't completely break down from

stress.

Just worrying about it all makes me feel depressed (which doesn't happen very

often!). Its very sad, and if Im feeling so miserable about it all, I can only

imagine how awful my sister feels right now.

I just hope the kid will be ok. Thats the main thing.