Ernestine and Bessie have always had a special bond, a relationship that goes beyond words.
But they've never quite had a sisterly chat.
In fact, 13-year-old Bessie has never even spoken a word.
As a baby, her family thought she was just developing slower than most children her age, but four years ago, a life-threatening seizure finally lead to some answers.
Bessie has a condition that's referred to as a variant of Landau-Kleffner syndrome. She has an excessive amount of abnormal brain wave activity while sleeping.
Simply put, it means Bessie often has silent seizures while she’s asleep -- each one interrupting her speech development.
Doctors told her parents that she would struggle with this for the rest of her life.
But while Bessie has never spoken, she has recently started doing something even her doctors could have never predicted: singing.
And it’s not just any music she likes. It's the tunes written and sung by her sister.
Ernestine is an aspiring singer, and she's constantly practicing around the house.
Often times, Ernestine starts singing, and Bessie jumps in.
And so it seems big sister’s *love* for music is rubbing off.
While doctors attributes improvement to Bessie’s treatment at the hospital, they do credit her home life as an equally important factor.
And the good news is that it appears singing is making way for real words too, the sounds of which have never been so sweet to a mother’s ears.
