My name's Courtney Brie Oppenheimer. I am 11 years old; I live with my family in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
I'm in the fifth grade at Grant Elementary School. I am doing this story as an assignment (it's due by Wednesday). We have to write about a family member, why they mean so much to us.
I choose to write about my big brother, Ben. Benjamin is thirteen; however, he's not like most kids his age. He has the mind capacity of a five-year-old: he was born with Down syndrome; he's mentally disabled.
Despite his disabilities, Ben is a very sweet, loving kid with a kind heart. He doesn't know a stranger; everyone he meets invariably becomes his friend. Sometimes we have to tell him about bad people, yet he refuses to believe that. He says a stranger is a friend he hasn't met yet.
Ben is short for his age: even though he's older, I'm taller than him. He's also heavier; when he runs he gets out of breath. He has a weak heart and asthma; he's been in the hospital when they act up, which is always a scary time, especially when we have to call for an ambulance on his behalf.
A few times, Ben has almost died. His heart stopped twice (at ages ten and twelve); another time he had such a bad asthma attack his face turned blue, and he nearly stopped breathing. It was horrible! It's only by God's grace that Ben is still with us!
Ben loves to play with our Wii game system, read picture books (I think he enjoys the pictures more than the actual story itself!), watch "Caillou", "The Pajaminals", "Barney", and "Sesame Street" on television, eat, and listen to music (he loves Celine Dion; he thinks she's hot; his words, not mine! LOL).
He also loves to go on walks in the evening if it's not too cold or hot out, go to church (we go to Living Waters Baptist Church; we go every week), and swing on the swingset in ouro backyard.
Every spring, he competes in our city's annual Special Olympics meet. He has won medals in the long jump and in the fast walk. He's proud of all he's done; he's an inspiration to his fellow athletes. He gets such a kick out of it, and we enjoy rooting him to victory!
Well, Ben wants to use the computer (that's another thing he enjoys), so he can play his games, so I'll be leaving now. I hope you enjoyed getting to know my brother; we think he's pretty special! Now you know why!
~Written by Courtney B. Oppenheimer. :)
