When I was in Grade 1, I was pretty much intolerable.

I was scared of everything, panicked constantly, cried all the time, and had a knack for being loud or in the way (the last thing I haven't grown out of). I was a nightmare younger sibling; insinuating myself into the older kids' doings and usually getting hurt in some way that they'd get in trouble for it.


I also had terrible insomnia. So every night, I'd wake up at midnight and be unable to go back to sleep – zombies were the main reason. I'd trundle downstairs to find my oldest brother Jamie and his best friend Matt playing games or watching some deep-cut anime. I'm sure I wasn't always welcome, but they'd usually let me stay, bemused though they were.

Jamie and Matt were actually the people to break me out of my phobia of zombies – through the unorthodox method of a video game in which zombies are less than a problem if you all work together. Whether they did it because I was around and could be a third player or to get me to stop bugging them in the middle of the night, it meant a lot, and really helped me.

Jamie had a habit of looking out for the rest of us, even when we probably didn't deserve it. He gave me advice and help when I needed it, and his friends did the same. Our parents hammered the motto “brothers stick together” into us pretty early on, and while we weren't always great at sticking to it, when push came to shove, it's exactly what we did. Even Sophie, and she's not our brother at all.

In my lifetime, Jamie has had countless trips to the hospital and more surgeries than I have fingers, but this last year was exceptionally unforgiving - he's had open heart surgery, a second surgery on his heart, and a brain surgery, and they’ve left him a little winded.

In May 2016, a staph infection spread to Jamie's  heart, meaning open-heart surgery - a valve replacement - was in order,  the good people at UW Medicine went ahead and did that.

A couple months passed, and a follow-up appointment showedthat the valve hadn't adhered properly to the heart – Jamie would need another surgery to secure the valve.

There was some good news along with the bad: just after Jamie got the bad news about the second procedure, he and his long-term girlfriend Lydia (also a key figure in helping me be a better person) decided to tie the knot. They were married at Juanita Bay in July.

Things went pretty well for the next little while. Lydia and Jamie enjoyed a few relatively peaceful months, but they weren't out of the woods yet. To manage his artificial heart valve, Jamie takes blood thinners daily. Early in January, however, his blood became too thin and he suffered a small stroke. Two minor brain bleeds sent him back to the hospital.

Luckily, the brain bleeds were small. Jamie was transferred to Harborview for a surgery, and doctors operated  to drain the excess blood and relieve the pressure. Jamie received 48 staples and a permanent hole in his skull.

However, it turns out that brain surgery isn't the simplest thing in the world at any of its levels, and there were some aftereffects. Not long after the surgery, Jamie couldn't talk. He's 8 years older than me, so there hadn't been a time in my life when Jamie had been unable to speak. His ability to talk fluently came back after a while – but the lapses in memory, fatigue, and pain mean that he's very much still on the mend.

Doctors have told him that Jamie will be out of work for three to six months. Owing to a recent merger at his company, though, the insurance deductibles and copays have begun to add up, and long-term disability is a sorry substitute for lost wages.

So here's what we're doing – we're launching a Jampaign, to get my brother back on his feet! We can't cover all of his expenses, but what little we can do with the help of our family and community would go a long way to helping out Jamie and Lydia.

Anything helps, so whether it's a few dollars or even just sharing this page, I'm asking for your assistance to look after Jamie the way he looked after me and the rest of our siblings.  He and Lydia deserve an easier time of things from here on out, and it's up to us to make that happen!

I wouldn't be half of who I am without Jamie and Lydia, and I won't stand by as a crummy hand dictates their future. Please share and get the word out about the great Jampaign, to lighten the load of a newlywed couple and get them back on track! Thank you very much for reading.

Jamie's third brother,
Christian