39: Brave Together Podcast - Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell and Dr. Zoe Shaw - Episode 3939: Brave Together Podcast - Jessica Patay, Susanna Peace Lovell and Dr. Zoe Shaw - Episode 39
UK Health Radio Podcast
Sheena Brevig reflects on growing up as the sibling of a disabled brother and how unspoken feelings shaped her health, identity and relationships. The hosts and guest talk about why sibs need their own space, language and community, and share ideas for parents who want to support all their children more fully.
47:28•28 Oct 2026
“We Are Special Too”: Sheena Brevig on Being the Sibling of a Disabled Brother
Episode Overview
- Siblings of disabled children often minimise their own needs and emotions, which can lead to anxiety and health issues over time.
- Naming difficult feelings such as resentment and shame is a key step in healing, even when those feelings feel taboo.
- Parents can support sibs by offering one-to-one time, modelling emotional language, and valuing them beyond their helpfulness.
- Cultural and gender expectations, especially for eldest daughters, can intensify informal caregiving and parentification.
- Storytelling, film and dedicated sib spaces like workshops and podcasts can help siblings feel seen, understood and less alone.
“When you shove down resentment, guilt, shame, and anger, they don’t go away. They build up into a volcano.”
What can we learn from those who have battled addiction and complex family roles? This conversation on UK Health Radio’s Brave Together Podcast turns the spotlight on siblings of disabled and neurodivergent children, a group that often feels invisible even in loving families. You’ll hear Sheena Brevig share how growing up as "the healthy one, the easy one" shaped her identity, anxiety, and sense of responsibility.
She describes the moment a therapist told her, "It’s okay to say that having a disabled sibling sucks sometimes," and how shocking and liberating that simple permission was. Sheena also talks about the emotional dam breaking when she saw the tagline "we are special too" in a Sibshop video and realised how much unspoken grief and resentment she’d buried.
Hosts Susanna Peace-Lovell and Jessica Patay, both caregiving mums, gently connect Sheena’s story to the experiences of parents and other children in disability families. They talk about cultural expectations, especially around eldest daughters, and how easy it is for sibs to become "parentified" and ultra-independent without anyone quite noticing.
The episode leans into practical ideas for parents: carving out one-to-one time with each child, naming emotions out loud, and reminding sibs they’re valued for who they are, not just for being helpful. Sheena shares how therapy, community with other sibs, and storytelling through her podcast "Sib as a Human" helped her move from constant anxiety to a more grounded, joyful life.
If you’re a parent, a sibling, or a health professional, you’ll find a heartfelt look at why sibs need space for their feelings, identities and community, and how simple acknowledgement can be life changing. Whose story in your family still needs that kind of space?
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