The Perfect Other - A Memoir of My Sister

“Shines a light on the stigma surrounding mental health and schizophrenia. This deeply personal memoir will give readers greater empathy and understanding in supporting those who are oftentimes misunderstood.” —Sheryl Sandberg

As a child, all Kait Leddy had ever wanted was a little sister. When Kyleigh was born, she and Kait were inseparable; Kait would protect her, include her, cuddle, and comfort her. To Kyleigh, her big sister was her whole world.

But as Kait entered adolescence, her personality changed. She began lashing out emotionally and physically and sometimes lost touch with reality, behavior that worsened after a traumatic head injury. The family struggled to keep this terrifying, often violent, side of Kait private—at school and in her social life, she was still the gorgeous, effervescent life of the party. Powerless to help, Kyleigh watched in horror as her perfect sibling’s world began to collapse and Kait was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Then, in January 2014, twenty-two-year-old Kait disappeared. Though her body was never found, security footage showed her walking to the peak of Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Bridge, where it is presumed that she jumped. In this extraordinary memoir— a story of hope, grief, mental illness, and enduring love—a grieving Kyleigh reflects on her sister and their life together, honoring their bond and searching for answers and a way to find meaning in this devastating loss.

A sister’s unconditional love. A family’s public silence and private heartbreak.

Sisterhood: A look at the powerful, unconditional love between Kait and Kyleigh, from an idyllic childhood to the devastating fracture caused by mental illness. Schizophrenia: An unflinching, firsthand account of witnessing a beloved sister’s personality change, from violent outbursts to losing her grip on reality. Coping with Grief: Kyleigh’s search for answers after Kait vanishes from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, grappling with a profound loss that offers no finality. Mental Health Stigma: An honest exploration of a family’s struggle to keep a terrifying illness secret while maintaining a public facade of normalcy.