Meet Our Team: Stories Behind the Faces

You may wonder where Sibling Society comes from……Our founder has something to say.

Jolin Zhang

Hi all! On behalf of our entire team, I'm thrilled to welcome you to our community! Your interest and support mean the world to us. We sincerely hope that you can make a modest contribution to the pediatric cancer community by donating and finding your sense of belonging and companionship here at Sibling Society. My name is Jolin Zhang, the founder of Sibling Society. 

Now to introduce myself a bit more past my name. I’m a rising senior, attending Abbey Park High School in Oakville, Canada. I’m a provincial badminton player, a debater, passionate about Model United Nations, and……a sibling of an 11-year-old sister who was diagnosed with Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. 

And this is where Sibling Society originates. 

I once believed that being an elder sister means behaving as a better kid. Ever since we were little kids and I was old enough to grasp what it meant to be an elder sister, I felt this instinct to look out for her. I felt the need to be her role model. I felt the pressure to make the right decisions. I felt the responsibility to be a good teacher, to set good examples. Every step and misstep I took, I knew she was watching, I knew what was expected of me. 

But there were times that the answer wasn’t always so clear cut, and there were things I didn't even know if I was capable of getting through—especially when it comes to her leukemia diagnosis. 

As a disease that knows no boundaries, no rules, and no mercy, cancer does not care how old your sibling is, or how much you love him/her. Suddenly the litany of terrible things I only imagined could happen, finally has; the things I have all feared in those darkest moments of brutality—pain, sickness, and death—are all possible. It was tough seeing the drastic, physical changes of my sister: the steroid medication caused her weight to balloon, yet the daily chemotherapy meant she experienced constant nausea and has suffered from much vomiting as a result of all the treatment, which at times caused rapid weight loss. I was hoping that when I woke up, the nightmare would be over—I wondered why it was my younger sister and not me, and why she ever deserved it in the first place. 

I tried my best not to be a spectator. Even though art is not my type, I threw myself into art and craft to give her little surprises because I knew how much that meant to her; Hanging out with my friends took a backseat – I shifted my focus from my own to taking care of her, putting her needs first; I became a more tolerable, more patient, and a more considerate person in general. What all surprised us was how my younger sister strived through cancer. Being a kid at the age of 10 at that time, she never once complained about why the nurses kept poking her with needles or taking the blood away from her everyday. She seemed to handle everything better than any of us expected. 

At that moment, I realized that there’s this invisible power that enables me to fight one more fight when I feel utterly defeated at the beginning. It helped me push through, no, helped US push through. 

And that invisible power is the sibling bond, through a sharing of genes, through a significant attachment. This time, it’s not solely me, as an elder sister, who is undertaking the responsibility of caring and fighting against this insurmountable challenge. It’s also my younger sister fighting against this gigantic monster, fighting for herself, and most importantly, fighting for us, for our sisterly bond—something that will last forever, something that shapes who we are. 

So the reason for me being this uptight, responsible, overprotective person, is because my younger sister is the greatest thing in my life. She’s the girl that’s constantly showing me what to fight for, that we can make everything possible. Looking at my younger sister right now, fully recovered from leukemia, is a moment of clarity. A moment of pure realization. The realization that life can be filled with more than just responsibilities and obligations, that there’s more to it—a sibling bond that no one else can quite reach.

I love my sister without reservation. And just know, there’s no war I wouldn’t go to battle for, for her. 

Want to learn more about our lovely co-founders? There you go!

Sylvia Guo

Hey there, I’m Sylvia Guo, one of the co-founders of Sibling Society, and I am honoured to be able to do my part in helping children in need. 

As an older sibling of a 7 year old boy, I feel privileged to be able to share one of the most fascinating bonds out of all relationships. Growing up, I genuinely loved caring for friends and neighbors, even when I was the younger one. After my tenth birthday, I was told by my mom that we were expecting a baby. It was extraordinary news for me. The nine months of my mom’s pregnancy felt like a century, and I found myself staring at her baby bump, dreaming about playing around with the baby. However, like all girls expecting a sibling to play dress up with her, I was very disappointed to hear that the baby was a boy. I mean, who’s going to play dress up with me now? Thinking back, this wasn’t a problem at all, my brother had all the patience to let me braid his short hair, or tie a bow around his forehead. Aside from the fact that I’m ten years older, we make great friends.

Another part of siblinghood for me is getting treated like a grown-up and taking responsibility for not only myself, but my brother. I had the duty to make sure he grows up in love and happiness, and took the role to teach him things I think he needs to know. As an older sister, I had infinite love for my brother. Our siblingship has become a part of my identity.  

Sometimes I think my brother is powered by a gigantic battery that never runs out. But whenever he falls sick, all of his energy drains, and it is heartbreaking for me to see him feel unwell even with just a fever. I cannot imagine how hard it would be to have a sibling hospitalized with a serious illness, losing their energy bit by bit after every treatment. And that’s the reason why I devoted my time to this student-led organization. As an older sibling, I wish all children had the privilege to have fun and enjoy the love their family has for them. 

Kate Li

Hello everyone, I am Kate Li!

I was born into a family of four: my dad, mom, sister, and me. I was born when my mom was 42 years old. From what I know, before I was born my heartbeat was much slower than others, and given that my mom was an elderly mother, the situation was not very optimistic. However, I was born safely in June 2007, so my mom often tells me that I am a miracle baby. But life after that was very tough. Not only was I diagnosed with various hereditary allergies, but I also frequently got sick, with the most severe being various lung inflammations. Therefore, I spent every New Year in the hospital with an IV drip.

Now I live a very healthy life and rarely get sick. Besides my parents who never gave up on my treatment, there is one person who has given me the greatest help, my sister Jan. Jan is three years older than me, which is not a big age gap, so we often quarrelled when we were young. She is the complete opposite of me: tall, athletic, and healthy. But I never considered why I was so unfortunate because she always treated me like normal. We swam together and she always gave me a piggyback ride, played tennis even though I still couldn’t hit, and of course, we fought. Yet every time I got sick, she visited, accompanied, and cared for me. She is my family, but also a lifelong inseparable friend. I am very thankful that although I don’t have the healthiest body, I was never alone. 

So when Jolin invited me to join the Sibling Society, I was so excited. I firmly believe that everyone’s life is a miracle, so I am extremely grateful to be given the opportunity to help children who are going through hardships. I hope to accompany each child like my sister did and let them know they are never alone, so no difficulty is insurmountable. I am the lucky one, and I hope everyone will be lucky too. Thank you.