After a stomach virus, young Arabella Kim was hospitalized for almost a week. She was dehydrated and didn’t eat anything for 5 days.
“It was frightening to see her go 5 straight days without eating anything at all, and for almost 2 weeks without eating hardly anything,” Tiffany Kim tells Love What Matters about the incident. “It was sad to see her in pain and afraid. She was out of her usual comfortable environment as well as so unlike her usual happy self.”
While in the hospital, parents, doctors, and nurses worked around the clock to make sure Arabella was okay. But Arabella’s older sister, Hannah, was the surprise helper everyone didn’t know they needed. Hannah insisted she visit her sister twice a day, and was the only one who could successfully feed Arabella.
In a video of the incident shared by the girls’ mom, Tiffany, the girls sit close together on the bed talking and eating together.
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“Hannah was very sweet and would take the time to sit with her and feed her. She would also go for wagon rides with her in the hallways,” Tiffany tells Love What Matters. “I am so proud of her older sister and so touched by her love and care for her baby sister. It was a beautiful thing!”
Outside of the hospital, the two sisters have a strong and loving relationship. They spend a lot of time together playing with each other.
“They play doggies together, hide and go seek, tag, and Hannah likes to push Arabella in her toy car or take her for a ride in the back of their toy tractor bike,” says Tiffany. “She is also very protective of Arabella and is patient with her. I can see that Arabella looks up to her big sister and is watching everything she does and is learning from her.”
The girls’ relationship is clearly special to the sisters and the rest of the family. Because Arabella has Down syndrome, it might look different to people from the outside, but to Tiffany, it is just the same as any other sibling pair.
“I don’t see how Arabella’s Down syndrome has impacted the girls’ relationship yet,” says Tiffany. “They seem to be two typical fun-loving sisters who enjoy living life.”
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This relationship, along with other advice and looks into the family’s life can be seen on Tiffany’s Instagram, @arabellamiracle. Tiffany hopes to showcase her family and the ways that Down syndrome should not only be accepted but celebrated.
This article was written exclusively for Love What Matters by Anna Steingruber. Follow Tiffany Kim of Phoenix, Arizona on Instagram. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories.
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