Ebony and Ivory

This is a picture of my younger sister Chandra and me. (People often mispronounce Chandra's name, so this is the way we tell people to say it: "It's Chandra… like Jackie Chan-dra.") Chandra and I weren't particularly close growing up since I’m 4½ years older than she is and that seems like a lot when you're young. However, we've grown a lot closer in the past 7+ years since my accident. Chandra is my only sister that has been with me the entire time I've been paralyzed. She was a freshman in high school when I had my accident in 2003, but she's now all grown up and a 22-year-old adult. She still lives at home, though, so she does a lot to help my mom with my care even though she works full-time. Her help and her companionship are invaluable.

We've gone through a lot together and we've become very close, especially since my accident. Not only are we sisters, but we are dear friends. Our personalities are alike in so many ways which fosters our closeness, but at the same time we’re quite different, so we don't always see eye to eye. Still, we have so much fun together and I don't know what I would do/will do without her. I dread the day when she will eventually leave home.

Here's a silly thing that we do together. I'll say, "Channie," and she’ll respond with, "Heather-y?" And then I'll say, "Ebony?" and she'll respond with, "Ivory." (It rhymes if you say it correctly.) I'm so glad that Chandra was adopted into my family because my life would be a lot more lonely without her!