fam-i-ly [fam-uh-lee] noun, adjective.

Dictionary definition:
fam-i-ly [fam-uh-lee]
noun, adjective.

1. a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not

My definition:
fam-i-ly [fam-uh-lee]
noun, adjective.

1. a group of people who love each other unconditionally, regardless of what happens, and are always there for each other, even when help is not needed

I have a mom and dad (obviously), two sisters, and one brother. We all live in the same house and we all argue occasionally (some more than others) like every other family. But we love each other and that's what's important.

Mom: my mom does so much for my family and she's so important to me.

dad: my dad is the one who is always worrying about us kids and making sure we are always safe. he can always make me laugh by being his embarrassing self.

kayla: kayla is my older sister (18). she's stubborn and comes off as a rude person but to me she's such a supportive and helpful big sister. she does so much for me and really cares about me. She's also really protective of me.

kiera: kiera is my younger sister (14). she's a lot like kayla in the sense that they both can be really mean when they want to but she's also my best friend and we're really close. people stare at me everywhere I go because of my physical appearance. I don't notice but Kiera does, and she does something about it. I love that she always stands up for me.

bryson: bryson (9) is the annoying bratty little brother that everyone has. but he can also be really sweet and I know he really cares about me even though he occasionally beats me up because I am the easiest target in the family.

I know that if you knew them like I do, you would love them just as much.

Getting to know me.

Hi, I'm Kendra. I'm not like most 15 year olds. I was born with muscular dystrophy. This means that my muscles develop much slower than normal teenagers. I'm very lucky to have a minor case of it, as most kids with muscular dystrophy are in wheelchairs and I can walk. The type I have is called central core disease. Everyone has small pouches of calcium (not the kind in milk, cheese, etc.) that release energy when they need it such as for running, climbing stairs, sports, or any physical activity. My calcium pouches constantly leak, so when I need a burst of energy, I don't have a source to get it from. I struggle with walking long distances, carrying/lifting heavy things, stairs, running, jumping, and most other physical activities. But this does not stop me from living my life and trying new things. There is no way for me to build up my muscles because if I lift weights or work out, my muscles break down and don't rebuild themselves stronger like everyone else's do. Because I have no muscles, I am extremely skinny, almost all skin and bones. It's super hard to find pants/shorts to fit because my legs are skinny and long but we deal with it and get some altered, or look until we do find some to fit.

 

Besides the muscle disease, I was born with severe scoliosis. Scoliosis is while most people's spines are straight, mine is curved. So as my spine grows, it grows at a curve. This pushes my ribs in my back outward so I have a "rib hump" on the left side of my back. When I was 7, I had surgery for scoliosis. But that's a different story. I don't consider myself different from my classmates. Sometimes I get embarrassed or self concious of my different body appearance, but most of the time this is how I've been my whole life and I know being upset about it is not going to change things. I have to accept myself for the way I am and know that my true friends will do the same.