Teenager Sara Martinez has to look after her younger brother, who is autistic, and serve as a translator for her parents, who speak limited English. Read the full description.
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Piece Description
Sara Martinez assumes a lot of responsibility in her family. She helps her parents, who are from Mexico, with household chores and serves as their bridge to the English-speaking world. She also looks after her three younger siblings, including her youngest brother, Diego, who was born with autism. Sara knows that taking care of Diego helped her grow up faster than her peers, and sometimes she feels she missed out on being just a regular teenager. As Sara says in her radio documentary, "When my mom was telling me her worries about Diego, inside I was like, why are you telling me this? I'm just a kid - why should I have to worry too?? But instead I just let my mom talk."
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