My Brother Is Different

"It’s a really simple book, and it has a lot of emotion attached to it for me. I knew there was something not right with Chloe from birth. This was an intuitive thing, I didn’t know what it was. My son was always naturally good with my daughter, and he still is—they are very close—but when he got to school I knew he would be challenged by his peers. His sister was going to be different and I wanted him to be comfortable with that really early. I had a really great paediatrician who said: There’s this very simple book by Louise Gorrod, written for children of your son’s age who have siblings with special needs. So it is aimed at the six- or seven-year-old to help them understand how to talk about their sibling. And, you know, he loved it. He would take the book into school to show to his friends and his teacher. After that, they did a session with his class using the book. He’s still in touch with quite a few friends from that primary school, one of whom is his best friend, and they love Chloe just as much as we do. They’re so good with her, you know, and she was always comfortable with them. So this book is for all those parents out there who are still going through those early stages. Don’t forget the sibling! They are on their own journey as well. Absolutely. And being kind to yourself, too, right? Be kind to yourself if you are the person going through this journey. If you are a person supporting that individual, be kind to them. Managers at work, colleagues, friends—you all play a part. They definitely played a part in my journey. I’m quite determined, and I have a natural disposition to carve away at everything I do. But I haven’t done it alone. Although sometimes I did feel desperately alone—which is one of the reasons I wrote my own book. So that people understand: it’s okay to feel alone, but no, you are not. I’ve been very, very fortunate to work with brilliant people who gave me the space to navigate this journey. I now work at a very senior level, and I have a very understanding CEO. But sometimes you can’t see that, when you are going through the process. So I encourage people to seek others out and to be vulnerable. You can’t do it alone."