Humans of New York: Brian

    I really liked this story about a woman whose deafness caused her to isolate herself once she had gotten older. Her parents were just adjusting to life in America, and did not understand the impacts of deafness on their daughter, the language barrier being a big factor. In the post, she said that she had not received hearing aids until she reached elementary school. All of these years, she had felt alone and misunderstood because she had to constantly read lips to communicate with others. After experiencing the feelings of isolation, and being labeled as the girl who never talks, she did not have many friends in school. She was bullied due to her lack of speech and therefore would separate herself from others. Enter her older brother Brian. In the halls at school, Brian would make sure to say hi to her, and sometimes would yell out her name to make sure she heard him. In the post she describes how much this meant to her and how “Because people could see—that even if I didn’t mean much to them, I was important to somebody.” Her brother acts almost as her protector in this story, ensuring that she knows she’s loved. She then transitions to when they are older and more mature, and how he is still the same older brother who watched over her as a child. She talks about a recent memory where she lost her dog of fifteen years. Feeling down, she went to see her brother, and he instantly knew how to comfort her, although few words were spoken. He put on “The Office” (my favorite show) and played it for the rest of the week. They hardly spoke, but seemed to understand each other in the comfort of silence. One of my favorite lines of this post is when she says “But it was my way of silently telling him that I needed somebody. And his way of silently telling me that he understood.” 

    This story stood out to me because of the bond that she has with her brother. Being an only child myself, I don’t have personal experience with a sibling, but I can see how much of a rock Brian is for her, and always has been. He always made sure she felt included and loved despite her feeling isolated as a result of her deafness. Having someone in your life who instantly understands you, without speaking a word is something special. The memory at the end of the post really brought the story home and highlighted how in tune they are with each other. The siblings didn’t even speak, yet they knew they needed each other. I think the photos help to visualize how the two were close from adolescence to when they were older. The pictures show the close bond that the two have, depicting them as children attached at the hip. I really enjoyed reading this story, and thought about my own family and how much I depend on them to help me when I’m in need. I can’t imagine what it’s like to face the challenges that come along with being deaf. Despite these difficulties, her brother was someone that she knew she could always count on to support her.