You are just one of ‎little miracles that can be a pain in the ass and like Anthony a brother than anyone would wish for.

You know the way I deal with things try and forget the emotions and be matter of fact and I think that’s the way we all dealt with day to day having a sibling with CF.

But my heart broke for you, and still does at times… why was it you that was dealt the wrong deck of cards, why was it not me.

No one I’m sure knows what really goes through your head, and we forget that you are so bloody stubborn. When you lived with us Brendan would make dinner for you every evening and you wouldn’t eat it all, or why you had no energy to clean your room. Because we are assholes and did not understand that you had no energy and could hardly breath, but we wanted you to be ‘normal’. So it’s easier for us not to face facts. Never mind the fact that at this point you had physio coming to you regularly and had Baxter delivering medication to you every other day. How much of a wake up call did we need!!!

There a a few memories that stand out for me ‎, when you were born, I was doing an exam in Trinity College, dad got the call to say mam had gone into labour and low and behold you came into the world! Well of course you were so sick we didn’t get to see you, (well I did but the rest didn’t know!!) Your were diagnosed with CF and we were told told you wouldn’t survive, well Bill there the stubbornness began!!

When mam died I will never forget going with dad to the school to tell you and Ant. My memory of the two of you walking out the school is very vivid, I’m sure she is the proudest woman in heaven of you, Ant, Maria and Tina. Ye were all so young and all the focus was on you Bill as you were the youngest and so sick, and you got the attention you loved it! But you deserved it too…….
but I have to mention Anthony, Billy you are so lucky to have him as your brother as we all are, he is one of those people that is there when you need him, stubborn too, but like me avoids attention and he has the most unreal humour.

Second memories are all the fantastic holidays maria, you and I went on after mam died, (mart was madly in love couldn’t break away!). I think we did it because we felt you were so sick and you and Ant had no opportunity of a holiday.

How Maria and I gathered the money for this I will never know, but there are memories I will never forget because you in our minds were not sick, even though I’m sure there were times when your energy levels were low but you kept going. Hope you remember the happy times….

One other memory was Ant, I and you in Art O’Neills pub, you were sitting at the bar, and you got into a fit of coughing, so much so that you actually physically got sick, and of course you have the ass hole that thought you were drunk, and made a ‎stupid comment and your dear old brother defended you. I took you home and you and I cried together and held each other in bed, I think that was the only time that both you and I actually resigned ourselves to the demons of CF..

But never again Bill, you and Mart has told the story of the transplant, swine flu and Brain Haemorrhage… you have come through this you defy all the doctors and your family.

I am proud of you and am privileged to have 2 brilliant brothers, 2 fantastic sisters along with a great dad, mam and step mam, and Billy what is normal….
So Bill the moral of the story is no one is ‘normal’ and you defy all rules and I hope you never change. I was the author of the words ‘ Don’t let CF rule your life, you rule CF round your life and Billy you are a true example of this ‎.