Younger brother asks sister with Down Syndrome to be Maid of Honor at his wedding

Perhaps the most beautiful thing about the love shared between siblings is that it is so very unconditional.

As brothers and sisters we often fight, call each other names, drive each other to the peak of frustration, etc, etc. Yet at the end of the day, your siblings are the ones who are there by your side no matter what.

I myself was blessed with both sisters and brothers, and I share a unique and special bond with each one of them. Put simply, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to help them if they needed me, irrespective of how my mood is or the current status of our amicability to one another.

That’s probably why this particular story struck an emotional chord with me. It concerns a man born in Vermont, Chris Garafola, and his older sister, Brittany, who has Down Syndrome.

As per reports, Chris Garafola felt himself extremely fortunate growing up. He was born into a loving family and benefitted from an older sister with whom he developed a close-knit bond.

The siblings were two years apart in age, but as youngsters they were inseparable. As Chris described it, he and Brittany were a “package deal”, and he never wasted an opportunity to tell her just how much he loved her.

In a touching Instagram post, Chris wrote that Brittany: “Always poured her love onto him, challenged him, and taught him timeless lessons—giving him countless opportunities to grow (quickly) as a man, and become the best BROTHER he could possibly be.”

Since Brittany was born with Down Syndrome, she faced her own challenges in life. Yet every hurdle she overcame was made easier by the fact that her younger brother Chris was by her side.

Needless to say, their bond was only strengthened as they grew to adulthood, and so when Chris met the love of his life, Tatiana, and subsequently proposed to her, he knew that Brittany simply had to play a big role at their wedding.

Chris and Tatiana mutually decided that they would hold off getting married until Brittany could be there to watch them tie the knot. There was a slight problem, though: due to her condition, Brittany’s immune system was vulnerable, and so she had to get her COVID-19 shot before she could attend any gatherings with others.