Sango and Bryant Herring were 12 years older than their sister, Nydja, which meant they often parented her. The teenage boys would feed and entertain Nydja, bring her to the movies and the park.

Initially, the trips were simply to get her out of the house. But they soon discovered other benefits. “Girls would just flock to us when they saw us with our cute sister,” Sango said. “It was great.”

Nydja also benefited from the attention paid to her and her brothers. “She loved to tease us in front of the girls and extort money from us,” laughed Sango.

The siblings were separated when Nydja moved to North Carolina at 15. While she enjoyed life in the South, she made her way back to Fordham Road in the Bronx when she was 26. “She reconnected with everyone she left behind,” Sango said. “It was always home for her.”

A few years later she met her partner, Kashif, and had twin boys, Kashmir and Nikhil. They are now 2 years old, and their uncle Sango tries to visit as often as possible. “I wish she could have enjoyed them like we enjoyed her,” said Sango.