A is for April 1st

It's April 1st.  Most people celebrate April Fool's Day.  I don't.  I celebrate my younger sister's birthday.

Let me tell you a little bit about Maegan.  My little sister was born a month and a half early.  The umbilical cord disconnected and was wrapped around her neck.  She was starving to death and being choked to death by the very thing that was supposed to keep her alive.  The doctors induced my mom early in order to save Maegan's life.

My little sister is not a normal woman.  She's 32 as of today but her mind is forever trapped at the stage of a 3-4 year old child.  She's a sweet and loving woman who will never be able to take care of herself.  She has to be told to do the simplest of things.  But she's willing to try and loves everyone.

My little sister is actually a good 3-4 inches taller than me.  She's a natural red head (where mine comes from a dye bottle).  She has a ton of freckles and wears glasses like everybody else in my family.  She loves rainbows and hot air balloons.  She's scared of dogs but loves cats.  She can't read but loves looking at picture books and tells anyone who'll listen the story that she sees in the pictures.

My sister loves to color and has a lot of coloring books.  She prefers books that let her color things like birds, flowers, and natural scenes.  My little sister loves camping, hiking, fishing, and going on picnics.  She always wants to "go, go, go" and is up for a trip anywhere (except to the doctor...she hates doctors as much as I do).

My sister is very unusual and isn't a woman that most people know how to deal with.  She's been subjected to a number of cruel comments and some rather nasty minded tricks by people who just want to hurt her.  She's been treated like crap by people at stores because she talks strangely and isn't completely "all there" most of the time. She writes like a kindergarten kid and sometimes has problems spelling her own name, and people get very frustrated with her.

On the whole, though, Maegan is an independent person who doesn't let her disability keep her from enjoying life.  So today,  I wish my beautiful and charming little sister a very happy birthday.