Ayaan is a shy 4 year old who loves to comfort, play and wrestle with his older brother Kabir. He has plenty of wide-ranging interests too, from Legos to watching movies or pretending to be Batman. He even hopes to be a doctor or basketball player one day.

When Kabir was diagnosed though, it was tough for Ayaan to understand. Kabir and his mother, Bhavika, had to move away from home in order to be closer to the hospital. It was difficult for Ayaan to get used to his big brother and parent being away so often. Since some early troubles, both Ayaan and his older brother have grown incredibly close.

Some of Ayaan’s favorite memories are his family going on a Disney cruise just a little before Kabir’s diagnosis. That made it all the more difficult when they couldn’t go on vacations as often while Kabir was in treatment, but it makes Ayaan appreciate any trips they can take with Kabir even more.

During Kabir’s treatment though, Ayaan still struggled with the fact his older brother required plenty of his parent’s time.

“You lose a lot of attention for the non-diagnosed siblings and their life gets put on hold,” said Bhavika. “We asked Kabir to help his brother get through the difficult period and Ayaan to do the same, so they were responsible for taking care of each other.”

That manifests itself often when Ayaan can tag along to treatment. He’ll distract Kabir when his port is being accessed so he doesn’t have to fret about it. Ayaan would be at the hospital to play with his brother every single day. They took being there for one another very seriously.

“They learned empathy for each other and came out with a very strong bond,” said Bhavika.

That bond isn’t going to end anytime soon, even with their polar opposite personalities. The lively Kabir may do a lot of the talking for Ayaan in group settings, but when they’re together, they’ll always have each other’s back.

Read more about Ayaan’s hero brother Kabir.