I consider myself very lucky for many reasons but on the top of the list is because of my family. They are all incredible and I feel beyond fortunate to have them place such a key role in my life. Each one of my family members plays a key role in my life but the one person whom I want to talk about is my brother Eric.

Eric is one of those people who I honestly strive to emulate in life. He is smart, funny, fun to be around, and so much more. He is completely selfless and is the one that you call upon when you need anything because you know that he will jump at the opportunity to help you. When you are in his presence you know that you will constantly be smiling because of the infectious smile that is plastered on his face. Sure, since he is a teenager, he is not always the easiest person to deal with because of his constantly changing moods, but what teenager does not have those moments? I certainly have those moments a lot. Probably too much.

I cannot remember a time when Eric was not in my life even though we are technically 15 months and three weeks apart. When we were younger we even thought that we were twins because of how close in age we are. He is honestly the person that I share the most with, laugh the most with, and basically my best friend. He is the person in the entire world that probably knows me the best and I would not have it any other way. Though we do sometimes fight, we are quick to make up and we can never stay mad at each other for more than ten minutes. I am not exaggerating one bit.

Though there is something different about Eric. Though he seems like a regular fifteen year old boy, and essentially he is one, there is something that makes him not so ordinary:
Eric has OCD.

OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, as described by the International OCD Foundation, is “a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions”. People who have OCD get “obsessions” and “compulsions”. “Obsessions” are when the person is so obsessed with a situation that did not work out for them that they try to fix it and do whatever they can to fix it. “Compulsions” are things that the person with OCD does in order to keep order in their life. People with OCD tend to need things to be a rigid structure in their life. “Normal” people would like order in their life, but when things go a little out of order they adapt to it and move on. People with OCD NEED that order so badly and they cannot cope when they lack that order. Sometimes, in order to maintain the order that they desperately need, they will do things multiple times, to make sure that at least once they get the thing right. When things do not go the way that “normal” people wanted it to go, they accept the fact that things didn't work out and they either try to fix it if they have the ability to do so, or, if there is no way for them to fix the situation, they just move on and consider that an experience of the past. However the opposite is true with someone who has OCD. No matter if they can or cannot fix the situation that did not work out in their favor, they will try with all of their ability to make sure that they fix it. Now, reading this, someone might think, “Oh, isn’t that a good character trait to have since that shows perseverance and motivation?” The answer to this is simple. In certain cases it is really good. If the situation is about to be fixed and the person works hard and ends up succeeding then that is good. But if the situation cannot be fixed then this person is using all of their energy to do something that will never work in their favor.

Because he has OCD, Eric does some things differently. Whenever he enters a room, he has to walk in-and-out 5 times before he can officially enter it. Whenever he eats food, everything on his plate has to be in a distinct place and he cannot start eating unless it is just as he needs it to be. Before he goes to sleep he has to switch his light on and off 7 times before he can officially shut it off. Whenever something does not work out for him, he cannot get the image of it not working out the way that he wanted it to out of his head. It is as if there is a broken record inside of his head and no matter how much he wants to forget about the experience, he cannot. His mind will just not let him forget it.

Even though he has these challenges, he is still a normal teenager. He loves sports, he is insanely smart, and he is one of the kindest people I have ever met. He just has some additional challenges that not every teenager has to deal with. But I would not change it for the world because he is my go-to person and nothing can change that.
Especially OCD.