Trading My Life for My Brother's Sleep
I suffer from a rare lung disease and depend on a ventilator to stay alive.
My dad, Wesley Lowe, works three jobs and saves up enough money to replace my old machine with an imported one.
The new ventilator is already relatively very quiet. Even so, my mom, Keira Sheeran, still thinks it's too noisy. She says the sound keeps waking her up at night and reminds her that I am like a bottomless pit.
One day, my newborn baby brother, Jasper Lowe, won't stop crying. The doctor says newborns are sensitive to noise.
Mom immediately breaks down.
Her eyes are red with tears as she rushes over, points at me, and screams, "Can't you just die already? Your cousin can't afford to get married because of the burden you put on our family, and now your little brother can't even get a good night's sleep!
"Can't you turn it off for just one night so the whole family can finally have some peace and quiet?"
After saying that, she takes Jasper and goes back to her parents' house.
I look at the "Happy Family" cross-stitch embroidery hanging on the wall.
Slowly, I unplug the ventilator. "Mom, Dad, it's quiet now."