Rachel and Rebecca Mitchell aren’t the typical 18-year-old high school seniors.

Rachel is valedictorian of the senior class at Russellville High School. Her twin sister has the third-highest grade point average in their class.

They’re involved in sports and hold officer’s positions in several school clubs.

“They have never made a ‘B’ in the 12 years of attending Russellville City Schools,” their stepfather, Jerrod McKinney, said. “They are the best kids a parent could ever dream of having and at the same time are involved in just about every activity going on.”

But their grades alone aren’t what set them apart from their peers. They also help care for their 17-year-old, non-verbal autistic brother, Hunter.

“We watch him and fix him food,” Rebecca said.

“We help him go to the bathroom and take him for a ride if he (gets upset). He likes car rides.”

When the girls were sophomores, their mother, Donna McKinney, was diagnosed with breast cancer, and many of the responsibilities that come with a having a family member with special needs fell upon Rachel and Rebecca.

“I don’t know what we would have done without them,” Donna McKinney said of the twins. “They would help with everything — they would fix (Hunter) supper, put him in the shower if they had to. They’ve pretty much always done their own laundry and kept their room clean.”

Helping the family make it through Donna McKinney’s illness was something the girls said they never questioned.

“That was a hard time,” Rebecca said. “But it just made our family stronger. We were scared, but we didn’t want our mom to see that.”

Though they had added responsibilities during their mother’s sickness, Rachel said she recognizes that life isn’t easy for Hunter, either.

“(Him being non-verbal) makes it more difficult to take care of him, and not just for us, but it’s hard for him, too,” she said.

After they finish high school in May, the girls hope to attend the same college and will probably remain close for the rest of their lives. Both are considering professions in health care.

For Rachel, some type of nursing job might be ideal. For Rebecca, her career most likely will involve physical therapy.

“I’ve thought about it a lot, but I keep coming back to physical therapy,” she said. “Some of that probably has to do with Hunter.”

As for Hunter, the McKinneys have hired an assistant to help ease him into the transition of the girls leaving for college.

Though the twins said they sometimes consider what life might have been like if they didn’t have a sibling with special needs, it’s not a thought they dwell on.

“It’s kind of one of those things that’s pointless to think about,” Rebecca said. “Our whole lives would be different, and I love him to death. I wouldn’t want to think of my life without him.”

Hannah Mask can be reached at 256-740-5728 or hannah.mask@TimesDaily.com.