It’s Thursday afternoon. The city of Downey is filled with cars. It’s 82 degrees outside when Sonia walks through the hospital doors.

She walks in wearing pigtails, a pink dress, flip flops and a smile as glowing as the sunshine that day. Behind her is her father, who, in one hand,  is carrying her 4 year-old sister.

They make their way to a woman at the front desk who’s occupied with a phone call.

As she sets the phone down, this little girl can’t help staring at her.

The woman notices, smiles at her, and apologizes. That’s when her father steps in, and gives the woman her mother’s name.

“Her room number is B228.”

After hearing this, her father grabs the hand of his 8 year-old daughter, while holding her sister firmly in his other hand, and they make their way towards room number B228.

They spend a couple minutes searching for the room, and as soon as they find it, the 8 year-old lets go of her father’s hand and eagerly runs into the room.

She recognizes her aunt, standing right next to her mother. She gives both of them a confused look but shrugs it off after.

The sight of an infant crying in a crib next to her mother’s hospital bed makes her ponder.

That is until a man wearing scrubs, black rimmed glasses and wrinkles walks into the room.

The words he says next are enough to make Sonia’s eyes open wide in disbelief.

He turns to her mother and says, “Congrats Miss. It’s a boy!”

Her mother, father, and aunt all smile and laugh. But she still stands there, puzzled as ever.

Her mother notices and tells her, in the sweetest tone, “ Sonia, you have a little brother. Come and hold him.”

That’s when she can’t help but smile and runs over to her mother. As soon as she sees Ishaan, she asks, “Can I hold him? Please can I hold him mommy?”

Her mother just nods her head and gently sets him in her arms, while helping her hold the weight of her brother.

The next few moments are filled with laughter, smiles, giggles, tears, and happiness.

Days passed, and those days turned into weeks, which turned into months, and those turned into years.

She’s grown up 7 years later, and matured into an amazing big sister. And he’s grown up and turned into a troublemaker of a brother.

They fight, they argue, they laugh, they smile, they cry, but most of all, they love each other. And neither of them can imagine life without each other. They wouldn’t want it any other way.

She knows what they say is true: Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feets. She also knows that he is one of the few reasons she is who she is today. Because of this blessing who Sonia calls her brother, she’s grown into someone she’s proud of. She can without a doubt say that she’s loyal, honest, compassionate, trustworthy, a good listener, and most importantly an even more superior big sister. Sonia knows that Ishaan has changed and impacted her life for the better, and she’s lucky and blessed to call him her brother.