Ellery and Clare are sisters to Gilly, who has special needs. Gilly has high-needs autism meaning that she will never work or live independently. She requires constant 24-hour care and supervision.

For Clare and Ellery, being Gilly’s sister has shaped how they see the world, and how they live their life. Right now, they’re both in university, but at some point in the future, they see themselves taking over Gilly’s care from their parents.

Ellery: For me, I think Gillian factors into where I will settle down. If I have a career opportunity to move to England for a couple of years, I’ll do it when I’m young. But when I’m older I’ll be staying here. I’ll be staying near Gilly. We will be living in same city for the rest of our lives.

Clare: Yeah. We’ll be Gillian’s caregivers. She will probably live primarily with one of us or alternatively we’ll live together so that we can take care of her.

Boyfriends?

Ellery: Whenever you meet a boyfriend or someone that you’re interest in, you have to consider how they will react with Gillian. I’ve had boyfriends who are super great about it, and boyfriends who are less great. I always appreciate the ones who are really great because that’s my little sister, and you need to be able to handle her. That’s something that you, as a boyfriend, have to sign on for.

Clare: When you start dating us, you know what you are getting into. If you are going to spend the rest of your life with me, this is my sister and we are going to care for her.

Read more on the CBC.