Finding My Peace with Sanfillipo — Emily Wallis

I’ve known for a long time that I have anxiety. For obvious reasons, it hit an all-time high when my mom was diagnosed with cancer and my sister with Sanfilippo syndrome, which is terminal and has no cure.

I recently accepted a teaching position out of town, and am moving into a new apartment this week. As exciting as this is, I can’t help but be sad about leaving my family. Extra emotions come with being…

The current state of the world is difficult for everyone. I’ve thought a lot about my sister, Abby, my family, and other Sanfilippo families. It’s been the perfect time to reflect on what our life is like…

I’ve experienced several defining moments in my life over the last five years. My mom was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 as my senior year of high school began. We received my sister’s diagnosis of Sanfilippo syndrome,…

My favorite part of writing columns for Sanfilippo News is the opportunity to reach people both in and outside of the Sanfilippo community. In this quarantine, we’re all sort of in the same boat. We’re locked in our houses,…

Last week, I passed an exam that will allow me to begin teaching this fall. I thought it would be fitting to reflect on how important teachers have been in my life, and how being a Sanfilippo sibling…

If I don’t have a topic in mind when it’s time to write a column, I read articles. I look into the lives of other siblings of special needs individuals, delving into the struggles, pains, and…

I spent a lot of time with Abby a couple of weeks ago. Her caregiver was sick, so I knew I’d be spending several days with her. I had two options: I could be angry at Sanfilippo s…

It’s been a while since I’ve had what I consider a “depressive episode.” I had one this week. Some may argue that feeling low for a few hours shouldn’t qualify as an episode, and I’m not…

Jan. 1 always brings up difficult feelings for me. Even before Sanfilippo syndrome entered our lives, New Year’s was a holiday for reflection — which isn’t necessarily an easy thing to process. Each year, thoughts about what the coming…

In this column, I want to focus on a word that has been particularly difficult for me to talk about in the past. While it has synonyms such as envy or desire, this week I’m writing about the “J”…

I recently read a column about a teen whose brother has special needs. A lot of what the author said was spot on. She described what I experienced with my sister, Abby, when I was younger. As I read…