Nine years ago, my brother, my mom and I were in a terrible car accident where my brother suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury.Despite the toll that the accident took on my family and how it affected me as a freshman in high school trying to navigate homework and the hospital, what I remember most vividly are the doctors, nurses and psychologists that put us back together, and the loving and supportive place that Children’s Specialized Hospital was for my family.
Being a sibling of someone who was admitted to the hospital for many months, is a tough situation. You may experience a variety of emotions, or not know how to react, or interact while visiting. Every sibling feels different things while their sibling is hospitalized. That’s normal. Whether you cry, or yell, or don’t know how to react, that’s all normal. As humans, we sometimes don’t know what we should be doing and for me that was definitely the case.
As someone who has experienced what it’s like when another sibling needs serious medical attention, here are five tips for navigating this tough time the best way that you can:
- Find someone who can help you process and deal with all that your sibling is going through. Whether it’s a parent, a teacher, a friend or a therapist, having someone to talk to is very important. You never have to feel alone while dealing with all that comes with a sibling being in the hospital.
- Ask questions. When your sibling is in the hospital, or after, it can be a confusing time filled with many emotions. You may feel angry, upset, confused, scared or so many other things, the best thing for you to do is to express how you are feeling. With that, ask questions about the situation and express what is bothering you. You will feel better when you share with others.
- Try to stick to some sort of daily routine. As a sibling, our lives still go one while our sibling is dealing with their medical condition. Whether it be going to school, or hanging out for a few hours with friends, or going to the gym, a schedule keeps your life in balance even when it may not be.
- Remember to take care of yourself. When our brother was an in-patient at Children’s Specialized Hospital, my other brother and I made sure that we took care of each other, and ourselves. Whether that was helping each other with homework, or making a snack after school, remember that you, and your family, need to be taken care of as well.
- Just breathe. This is a time that can be overwhelming. Just take a couple of deep cleansing breathes as you try to navigate. If you have a few extra minutes, coloring or reading, can be helpful too.