Hi. It's me again--Barbara. (I'm the one who did the one story about my little brother, Johnny.)
I am going to write about another member of my family. My little sister, Jodie, who's ten. Jodie, like a lot of my siblings, is a "special" child, but in HER case it is even more so. The reason I say this is because she is SEVERELY physically handicapped, and she is SEVERELY mentally handicapped. She was born brain-damaged, and because of this, she has a LOT of problems.
First of all, Jodie CAN'T walk: she has ALWAYS been in a wheelchair made especially for her. Secondly, Jodie CAN'T talk. She CAN make noises, but that's about it, and one can easily tell if she is happy or sad just by the noises she happens to make. Thirdly, Jodie can't eat like you or I can because, for one thing, she can't swallow. Instead, she is fed by a tube in her tummy. And another thing: she wears diapers. She can't even manage to go to the bathroom on her own. She is more like my baby brother, Kwame', instead of like the 10-year-old she actually is. Jodie can't even read or write, or do ANYTHING a normal 10-year-old might do.
Jodie came to our family from Korea. She has long, stick-straight hair she usually wears in pigtails, almond-shaped gold-brown eyes, and an infectious smile. Her body is thin in build, and she is tiny for her age: she looks more like five. She wears sweats most of the time because she gets cold easily (although, in the summer, she wears tee-shirts and shorts). She is really a cute little kid, if you want my honest opinion!
The name of Jodie's brain-damage is cerebral palsy. She didn't get enough oxygen to her brain whilke she was being born. Unfortunately her brain-damage won't go away or get any better--but she WON'T get any worse. That's the good thing.
Jodie came to the family even before I did. She was adopted at the age of 3. (I was adopted 4 years ago, at the age of nine.)
Even though she can't do very many things for herself, Jodie is still a GREAT little sister.
One thing, I DON'T have to worry about her snitching on us when we act up! And she NEVER bosses us around or tell us to go soak our head.
