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My "Sister" Story (Pat's Story)

little sister
Oct 23, 2017
3 min read

I have told this story countless times, but have never actually written it down. It's the story of how Sister UP! manifested and how my sister and I muddled our way through life's pot holes and snake pits, helping each other survive along the way. Our story is far from being the most horrific story ever told, we know that, but if you are a women who is going through "Hell," we hope that our stories will help you "keep on going," and get the heck out of there as quickly as possible!

First we must establish some geography regarding the great state of Pure Michigan , where my sister and I reside. Michigan has a Lower Peninsula (the mitten) and a Upper Peninsula, the U.P. (some call it Gods country:)

My sister had been living in the U.P for about 30 years, she taught special education for the local school system, was happily married to the love of her life, and they had just built their dream home, a log cabin on a hill, including a three car garage with extra wide doors so that my sister wouldn't knock the rear view mirrors off her car when she was backing out (they thought of everything).

After about six months of officially "all settled in and living in the house," my brother-in-law, went in for some routine, pre-surgery test, and found out that he had Leukemia, in six months he was gone. My sisters life was flipped upside down from the moment that diagnosis was given (STRESS). Stress on an unbelievable scale, fight and flight mode engaged, full throttle!

She was with him and by his side, through things that human beings should not have to endure just to live and breath. It was during this time, that my sisters body began to manifest "seizures." *click for seizure story*

Because of the seizures, she was forced into early retirement. It was over a year before any payments began to come in and things didn't work out with insurance and such, over a stupid human error, that no one would own up to - and because of that, she lost the dream home and most of her possessions...all the while the seizures continued and doctors couldn't explain why.

So, she went far far into "the pit," you may know the place, it's that closed in, keep the house dark, pajama wearing, sleep all day and cry a lot place that is so damned hard to crawl out of.

I call that place "the pit," do you know it- have you ever been there?

Meanwhile, I am living down in lower Michigan, in a shitty relationship, I had just had a double mastectomy and found out that I am BRCA 1 positive, my son was graduating high school, my daughter was a mess, I thought I must be the worst mom ever because I was sick all of the time and depressed with loads of anxiety over everything, no boobs, no uterus, no glimpse of an idea of what I was supposed to do next...I was stuck, stuck in "the pit."

Then something peculiar happened:

I hadn't been up to see my sister since her husbands funeral, we'd talk on the phone just about every day, but I needed to see her. When I got up here, I realized that she needed to see me! I took a look around, sat down and listened to the saga, and thought, "holy shit, my life is fucking spectacular compared to this."

...and then we hatched a plan.