All About Hannah

Heyo!

I don't know how many people know about my home life, but when I'm not at uni I am at home with my mum, my older sister Hannah, my younger brother Steven and my dog Misty. I also have the rest of my family really close by which is super handy because we are a pretty tight-knit family and I know if I have a problem I can always go to them if I need advice, help or just want to see them for a bit of a catch up! 

Something I don't usually talk about is my sister, Hannah. Hannah is 22 years young, soon to be 23 come November and she's one of the best people on the planet. I'm not just saying that because she's my sister, I say this because of her ability to see the good in people, even strangers, and never judging a book by its cover. I wanted to write a post all about Hannah, because sometimes I struggle to talk about her because I miss her a lot and trying to explain how great she is without having to explain her disability can be tricky. 

Hannah has classic autism, and it means she might not get to do the same things other 22 year olds get to do. It's not really something I like to tell people about, because to me she's just Hannah, and she's bloody brilliant. She's funny, kind, caring, compassionate, well-read and she'd beat you in a cookie eating contest hands down. It's hard sometimes when I come back, because I feel like I've lost a bit of the bond I had with her because I moved away.

Hannah doesn't cope well with change, so me moving away really didn't go down too well. The first few times I came back she didn't appear to miss me even though I knew she did. She would always blame me for things not working out, and that's okay because I know she must have felt like I had left her after all these years. Once she realised that I would always come back and I would always miss her, and that sisters are for life not just for Christmas or drinking all her orange juice when they come home (sorry Hannah!) she seemed a lot happier when I came back. Hannah has been my best friend for as long as I can remember, she was the first friend I ever had (until Steven came along then we became a trio of pals that often went at war with one another for things like food, books, films and games we used to play!) 

She struggles to communicate with people, she always has. I remember when we were small we would communicate without words, but with gestures such as us working together to get the front door key to go play in the snow before our parents woke up! She's come a long way from the little girl who would flap her arms and make humming noises to show her emotions, and I am so proud of the progress she has made, and the progress she continues to make even now. She might not give you direct eye contact, but don't take it personally! Hannah loves to absorb herself in other worlds, and if she has a book or her DS to hand, she isn't being rude, she's just lost in a world where she can do anything as opposed to being in a world where she's limited to what she can and cannot do.

You don't need to talk down to Hannah, and it makes me so mad when people talk to me or my mum instead of her, because she's perfectly capable of giving you some form of response. She isn't deaf, she can hear you. Just whatever you do, don't ask her really long-winded questions because she is a people pleaser and will end up panicking and just telling you what you want to hear.

Hannah finds joy in reading books, in seeing Misty roll about the floor like a wriggly worm, Misty 'winking' at her, in the re-boot of Thunderbirds (and Virgil Tracey, of course!) She loves horse-riding, going round the charity shops with her carers and mum, watching films in her bedroom, laying out all her books and mixing the storylines so Mulan fights with Hercules to save the princess, and scooping up Alpaca poop! She loves losing herself in other worlds whether the worlds take the forms of games, films, books, tv shows or just her imagination, and when she's in that world you can see she's really happy.

If you ever get the chance to catch her in a moment where she is truly happy, take a mental picture. These moments often happen when she's on the front row of the biggest, fastest rides at theme parks or piers, the ballet, the cinema, or at a certain ice show she goes to every year! These little responses she gives when she is totally in her element make everything else seem so worthwhile, because she is so happy you don't really think about the time she threw all your toys out the window or stole you copy of a book because she ruined hers.

Hannah is someone we should all and try to be a bit like, because if there were more Hannah's in the world, it would be a brighter, happier, nicer place (although, there wouldn't be any cookies left!)

So Hannah, if you're reading this, know that you're one of the best people I know, and that it doesn't matter where I am I am always with you.

B x