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The simple words this 3-year-old spoke to his brother are heartbreaking and beautiful.

Having a big brother to watch over us is a gift at any time in our lives. He’s the go-to guy when you’re children together, and still when you’re adults. He helps with homework, babysits, deters would-be bullies and lends a sympathetic ear when that date didn’t go well, or you’re feeling misunderstood. That said, he also hogs the remote control, finishes all the frozen yogurt (and anything else yummy) in the house, pushes all your buttons, and embarrasses you in front of friends. That’s the beautiful give and take of sibling love.

And nothing demonstrates that love better than a photo Sheryl Blanksby from Western Australia shared on Instagram in March of her sons, 3-year-old William, and 4-month-old Thomas.

On the surface this tender photo of William delicately touching his brother’s cheek might seem just like an extra cute but fairly ordinary family pic. However, when mom captured this moment she overheard William comforting his brother Thomas—who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer—softly cooing these reassuring words: “Big brother is here, everything is OK.”

As a newborn, Thomas was born with a seemingly harmful skin lesion but at six weeks doctors discovered a lump over his abdomen that with further tests proved to be a malignant rhabdoid tumour over his kidney, that has now spread to his lungs, hipbones, and was responsible for his skin lesion at birth. The only help that doctors can give is to relieve as much pain as possible and to try and offer Thomas some quality of life, no matter how short it will be.

SEE PHOTOS

 

https://aleteia.org/2017/05/24...-dying-baby-brother/

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