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I have so many stories because every time I have gone through a difficult time in my life, my sisters have been there for me. From the time my dad had a heart attack while I was in college to sisters getting me through two divorces. My sisters were so helpful and supportive last year while my mom was in the hospital. When I've sent out messages on a listserv for recommendations for personal care aides from my mom, I have always had offers of help. When I was very sick and needed surgery, which meant 8 weeks off work at 60% of my pay, as a single mom, I received a SIS grant from our Foundation which helped pay the mortgage. So, my sisters have always been there for me.
There is one time I was especially touched as a collegian. One of our sisters suddenly had to support herself completely because her father was laid off. She was working almost 40 hours a week and going to school full time and thought she was going to have to terminate her membership because she couldn't afford the dues. Well, we weren't having that, so we each chipped in a few dollars every month (our dues were only $24 back then, but heck, minimum wage was $3.35 an hour!) and paid her dues for the duration of that school year. She was able to work enough over the summer to cover things better the next year and resumed paying her own dues. I was really touched by how the whole chapter reached out to her during her tough time.
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