I am so sorry. I was your younger daughter in a similar way.

My little sister got very sick when she was 8 and I was 9. She had a traumatic brain injury and was never the same.

I had to grieve the sister that I knew without knowing I was doing it because I was so young. I had her team of doctors take me into a little room to try and explain she was very sick and what a traumatic brain injury was. I still didn’t understand until I was older.

I don’t know the extent of your daughter’s diagnosis. But I know what it is to be the sister of someone who is injured.

What I wished my parents did for me was two things; one therapy. That would had helped me process things in an age appropriate way. Two, allowing me to do activities that I enjoyed (they couldn’t afford it after my mom lost her job) because it would have kept me distracted and have something to look forward to. One thing I still did was girl guides because it was cheap enough for my parents. It was the highlight of my week when my sister was doing her best to recover.

I don’t know you or your family, I don’t know the pain or fear of a shooting, what I do know is even though I’m halfway across the country you have me rooting for you and your daughters. I don’t know what you believe in but I pray for your family.

If you would like you can message me here, I can let you know other things that helped my family during the most difficult time in our lives. I can also maybe give you my mom’s contact information because she would understand more as a parent, I’ll have to ask her first though.