The Road Less Traveled

My Brother Tyler

By Amanda Clopine

I have a special needs brother. His name is Tyler. He was born twelve years ago with a very serious heart defect. On his third open heart surgery when he was a baby he had a massive stroke. This is why he’s special. Before the stroke, my parents tell me that he was very smart and happy. After the stroke, he was still happy but he had brain damage. He can walk and talk and he can count by tens. He will probably never learn to read or write which is a sad thing but I still love him. The road I travel every day with Tyler is not one I choose for myself, it was chosen for me. How I choose to walk that road is what makes it the road less traveled.

How I travel this road is very different than how other people might. To some people, Tyler might be embarrassing. For example one time when I was at soccer practice he ran onto the field and took the ball away. While he was running, his pants fell down. He didn’t care, neither did I. It was just Tyler being Tyler. Some people freaked out. I just smiled and got the ball back. My mom pulled up his pants and the game went on.

Some people seem to be afraid of him. They stare at him and sometimes whisper. Other people just avoid him. He can be very loud, and likes to grab people’s hands. I try to explain to my friends and other people that he is just being friendly. Everywhere we go, we meet new people. Literally! Tyler introduces us to everyone within his reach. We have met every worker at Costco. I think it is sweet.

At home Tyler can be very challenging, but we make the best of it. We have to be careful not to leave our toys out because he might accidentally break them. One time, he threw my ball over the fence and we couldn’t find it. I was really mad. I took a deep breath and let it go. Getting mad at Tyler just doesn’t do any good because he doesn’t understand. At least he hasn’t thrown my new ball over the fence, yet.

We have met other people that also have special needs children. Some of them seem sad all of the time. That’s not fun, who would want to live their life like that?

Tyler has brought a lot of joy into many people’s hearts. He has a great smile, and is usually happy. He passes his smile to everyone he meets. Tyler being Tyler has taught friends and strangers that different isn’t always bad. My friends aren’t afraid or embarrassed to be around him anymore. In fact many kids at school will come up and give him a high-five. It makes Tyler so happy when they do. I think it makes them happy too.

I’m very proud to have Tyler as my brother and a member of my family. It’s not always an easy road to travel, but it’s my road and the one I’m taking.