Hey Everyone! My name is Allayna (uh-LAY-nuh), and I’m the sister of the family. I just wanted to pop in and tell you guys a little more about me and my relationship with Bub (David). I am 16 and a Junior in High School. To many people’s surprise, my Mom (Trista) adopted me when I was 14. The anniversary of which is coming soon (3 days to be exact), and I am pumped! Up until about a week ago, I wanted to go to school to become a chef – but that has recently changed. I have spent 7 years of my life with my little brother and I’ve watched him grow to the amazing little boy he is now. I take that back – the BIG boy he is now – because no matter how much she doesn’t want to admit it, he’s almost taller than our Mom. This boy has influenced me and my life for the better and I love him to death for it. As we all know, school is starting back up…during a pandemic. Covid has messed with our lives more than I thought it ever would. It has made me so much more cautious and has really brought out the real me and my beliefs. My school started up and I’m just going to say it, they’ve done bare minimum to keep everyone safe and stop the spread. They went face to face with the option to go virtual. Because Bub is on the Spectrum, me and my family decided it is best for me to stay virtual. I didn’t want to do it, but it is and will always be the safest thing for my family. Here’s the thing though… if David had never gotten his diagnosis, and Covid made schools provide a virtual option I’d be fighting tooth and nail to go back face-to-face, not caring at all about anyone else… just wanting to see my friends. That would never be the case now. Bub has made me take other people and their struggles into consideration more than ever. For weeks now I’ve watched my Mom fight for the best possible schooling for David, trying to get him the best teachers possible so he can get the best education as long as possible. Though they got what they wanted, it wasn’t easy. She was completely ignored by the school and never got any say. While it was hard to watch, I could only expect Mom would fight as hard for Bub as she did for me. Watching her fight like that inspired me to go to school to become a special education teacher, so that I can make sure kids with special needs get the best education possible. That’s only two ways David has influenced me and changed my life for the better. I don’t think there’s enough room for the rest, and I don’t think there ever will be. I love that boy so much and I’m glad you’ve decided to sit in on this journey with us.
Peace out,
Allayna
Photo Credit: Amie Kohls
Hurricane Heffners 