Eight years ago today, my little sister was diagnosed with infantile Batten disease. This photo was taken several months later. We caught a hayride to a pumpkin patch on a farm, and she helped me pick out the perfect pumpkin.
Back then, Taylor still smiled for the camera and blinked in bright sunlight. She talked a mile a minute and ran up and down the stairs with her dog at her heels. She went to school and danced with boys under a disco ball in the school cafeteria. She went to the mall with her girlfriends on the weekends.
Since then, she’s taught me a lifetime of lessons about faith and courage. Batten disease may be winning this battle, but Taylor’s still fighting. I think I’ll keep fighting, too.
