(Minghui.org) I became a Falun Gong practitioner in 1996 after reading Zhuan Falun. My older brother held an important position in the city's public security system when the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999.
I went to Beijing in 2000 to protest the persecution. I was arrested and transferred back home. People talked about how the police chief's sister was arrested in Beijing for practicing Falun Gong. The mayor and other city officials warned him: “You need to do something about your sister. Stop her from practicing Falun Gong.”
I was sent to detention and brainwashing centers, and sentenced to three years in prison. My brother lost face for many things that I did. Eventually he severed ties with me. I didn't mind. Every time there was a holiday, I would have my husband or son bring him gifts.
In 2012 the police ransacked my home. Two days later my brother called and told me not to visit him, ever. “When you chose Falun Gong, I chose not to be your older brother anymore,” he said.
I still had my family send him gifts on important holidays. He never returned the favor or visited us.
My brother’s wife died in April 2015. I was there for him as soon as it happened. I did everything I could to help him with the funeral. For six days my son drove around relatives who had come to visit.
Eight of our closest family members lived very far away, but I arranged everything for their trips. I booked their hotels, arranged their meals, took care of their daily needs, and prepared thank-you gifts for all of them.
My brother saw with his own eyes how a Falun Gong practitioner could be selfless, generous, and tolerant. At a family gathering a month later, in front of everyone, he said to me, “I support your practice of Falun Gong. We are still brother and sister and our families should visit often. I welcome you any time.”