SIBLING SUPPORT
sibling
story
Local author helps
other families explore
feelings in picture book
WRITTEN BY LESLIE PERLMUTTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNE-MARIE CARUSO
F
or siblings of children with
special needs, life is often different than it is for their peers.
These siblings may be called
upon to be understanding and patient
when their parents cannot be with
them. It allows them to mature faster
and exhibit greater compassion than
most kids their age. However, that
does not mean that they are always
pleased with their situation.
Upper Saddle River’s Julie Leavitt
Wolfe, author and illustrator of My
Holly – A Story of a Brother’s Understanding and Acceptance, remembers
very clearly when her son, Ryan, then
age 4, said regarding his baby sister,
“I wish Sydney wasn’t here.”
According to Wolfe, “That was
when I decided to write a book. I told
him that I totally understood him feeling that way, and that it’s OK to feel
like that. A social worker told me that
I gave him the perfect response. Once
he knew his feelings were OK to have,
he more than likely would not have
those thoughts anymore.”
18 2017 EDITION | SPECIAL PARENT
The picture book story, told from
Ryan’s perspective, was written to
help other siblings of a child with
special needs to understand and
accept their brother or sister who
needs exceptional care. But, it was
also written for Ryan.
“When I wrote My Holly, at first I
didn’t want to say I wrote it. I thought
of using a pen name,” Wolfe says. “I
saw me reading this book to Ryan
and saying, ‘See, this boy in the story
sounds a lot like you.’ I just wanted to
let Ryan know that he’s not the only
sibling who feels that way.”
Wolfe’s daughter, Sydney, was
born in 2008, five weeks premature.
Although she was healthy initially,
between the ages of 4 and 6 months,
she had a series of three unexplained
strokes, which left her globally
delayed. The cause of the strokes
was never determined. When Sydney
was in the hospital, her parents took
turns staying with her every night.
This was hard on Ryan, as well as on
Wolfe.
201magazine.com