Siblings from family with SMA share love for one another, others

Zack and Zarek Elizondo are brothers born three years apart. They live in San Benito, Texas, where they make music and produce social media content together.

Zarek has spinal muscular atrophy type 2 as did our late sister, Zarinna, who passed away in 2017. She was 18 at the time and was the light in our days. Our life has come with its trials and tribulations like this but the No. 1 thing that has gotten us through it all is each other.

Zarek and Zack Elizondo pose for a photo with their late sister Zarinna, who died in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Zarek Elizondo)

Our parents instilled in us early on that we are meant to protect and love one another. We can whole-heartedly say we have learned lifelong lessons from each other and we wouldn’t be the men we are today if it weren’t for our bond as siblings and the love that our sister, parents, and grandparents poured into us.

Now we try our hardest to spread that love along to others because we understand how powerful it can be when we go through our darkest moments.

We consider our lives an adventure, especially when dealing with a world that isn’t very accessible, from going grocery shopping to festivals and concerts. Life is what you choose to make it and we always choose to laugh and enjoy ourselves.

We’ve already had our fair share of close calls and scary moments so all we know how to do is enjoy life to its fullest.

Brothers Zarek and Zack Elizondo go out for a drive. (Photo courtesy of Zarek Elizondo)

We look at other siblings and realize not everyone is as lucky as we are to have each other and we can’t thank our parents enough for sharing these important values with us.

We know until the end of time we will always have one another while our sister looks over us from above. We miss her dearly and life hasn’t been the same without our beautiful sister, but we do our best to honor her and make her proud with everything we do.

Protect, cherish, and love your siblings.

In recognition of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Awareness Month in August, the Faces of SMA campaign features a multimedia series with written essays and video interviews highlighting the real-life experiences of people affected by SMA in their own words. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #FacesofSMA, and check here for more.