True-Life
My big sister never did let me down...
Marrianne Clarke, 32, Belfast
Following my big sister around the supermarket, I stayed close.
Everything felt safer when Katherine was nearby.
At the till, she nervously wrote a cheque, before we scurried out.
There was no money in the account, but we didn’t have a choice.
It was March 2000 and at home, Katherine, then 14, made beans on toast for me, then 8, and our brother Nathan, 10.
Mum struggled sometimes, so Katherine stepped in.
‘You’ll be late for school!’ she’d say after ensuring I had a tummy full of breakfast in the mornings.
Meanwhile, our three older brothers lived with our grandparents.
Katherine did her best, just a child herself.
But that September, me, Nathan and Katherine were taken into care.
For a few months, Katherine and I stayed with the same foster carers, but soon we were separated.
I missed my siblings and Mum so much, cherished any moment together.
In June 2001, I moved into a new home that became my forever foster family.
In time, Katherine moved to London and did bar work.
In 2005, aged 20, she met Mark and she seemed happy as they set up home in Great Yarmouth.
I didn’t get to see her much, but over the years, our bond remained strong.
Katherine always checked in, making sure I was doing OK at school and happy with my foster family.
After college, in August 2013, I got a job in a call centre.
By now, our family was scattered all over the country, but we kept in touch on Facebook.
Then, in 2014, I got a message from a relative, mentioning Katherine’s MS.
I’d heard of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune condition, but didn’t know much about it.
‘It’s not so bad,’ Katherine reassured when I asked her. ‘You don’t have to worry.’
In December 2014, aged 23, I met Chris, also 23, online, moving to Belfast to live with him.
Katherine and Mark were still happy, but over the next few years she was in and out of hospital.
‘Just another MS flare-up,’ she’d explain casually. In February 2020, Katherine came to visit, and I had happy news.
‘I’ve got something to tell you. I’m three months pregnant!’ I said.
‘I’m thrilled for you,’ she said, her face lighting up.
Then, that May, Chris proposed and I sent Katherine a photo, proudly showing the diamond ring. Congratulations! she typed back.
In July 2020, we welcomed baby Timothy. With COVID-19 lockdowns, Katherine couldn’t meet our boy, but she’d coo over pics I sent as Timothy hit milestones.
And while she kept quiet about her health, relatives living local to h
