I’m a twin. I always say, I won the twin lottery

My Bible: reasons to believe in the power of the Bible

‘I’m a twin. I always say, I won the twin lottery. My brother Mike got the looks, the height, the talent and I got him. 

‘When we were really small, we had our own secret language that only he and I could understand. I was cripplingly, painfully shy so I would communicate to him, and he would talk on my behalf. In return I would do all the physical tasks, like reaching or carrying. That was our bond, our system. It’s unbreakable, the bond between twins. It’s hard to describe. 

‘We went through everything together. Same school, same form, same friendship group. We were just known as the twins. He was the popular, funny lad that everyone knew. 

‘I don’t know how it happened, he was very vulnerable, but somewhere along the lines he took a wrong path. Maybe he succumbed to peer pressure, I don’t know. But the second half of his life was dominated by addiction. 

‘This life was so hard for him: a relentless, ongoing struggle. There was no fun or pleasure. The lifestyle, the addiction, it just wasn’t him. It was a devil on his shoulder, and he tried so hard for years to shake it off. 

‘The one constant was his faith, even throughout all of this. He was never without his Bible and he read it cover to cover, but Mike said it was Psalm 23 that particularly resonated with him, I think because of its reassurance that no matter how hard or desperate things are, there’s peace and life everlasting with God in heaven. 

‘My husband and I are both paramedics. On 14 February we were off duty but a paramedic friend of ours was called out and when he got there, he recognised Mike. We went to him immediately. He had passed away, but it meant I had some time with him, priceless, precious time. I sat with him, just the two of us, and I read Psalm 23 and prayed with him. I used to say, as twins, our first heartbeat, our first breath was together, and I was with him at the end. Two days before the funeral I had a 1/2 tattoo on my arm. That’s what I am now. Half of a whole. 

‘Now I must crack on without him, but it is a huge comfort to know he is with God and finally has the peace and blessing he was never able to reach in this life.

‘Psalm 23 has been a constant comfort and reassurance to me these past months. Shortly before he passed, my brother shared what Psalm 23 meant to him, and I’m so grateful to him for that, as I know it will have given him some peace. That has been his gift to me, an everlasting bond.’

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