Family is more than shared blood; it is the structure that shapes how we move through life. Growing up, I believed family was stable and fixed, but over time I learned how much effort it took to keep everything standing.
My parents worked constantly, balancing responsibility and exhaustion. Even as children, we sensed the strain beneath daily routines. Love often appeared not as comfort, but as persistence—showing up despite fatigue, sharing space, and enduring together.
When my younger brother became seriously ill, everything shifted. Life divided into before and after, and hospitals replaced ordinary routines. My parents became caregivers, and I stepped into responsibilities I hadn’t expected so young.