Winter 2018-2019

affinity Written for teens by teens

g n i d n i f e Th ice issue o v our

y

Winter 2018/2019

Editor’s Note

Over the past two weeks, thousands of people in media careers have lost their jobs. This news is obviously disheartening for our young writers and editors, as many are interested in careers in journalism.

At this point in history, journalism is a crucial field. What would our society be if we couldn’t be informed of the truth? As we were working on this issue, our team of writers at Affinity discussed potential ideas for the theme of the magazine. One suggestion was “finding your voice.” Such a simplistic theme, yet very important and impactful. Every day, journalism helps us find our voices.

Whether that’s on your school newspaper, a large media company or just your journal, what you have to say matters. Essentially, we want you to be inspired by this issue to use your voice. As a result, we have decided to make this issue a literary magazine rather than focus on news or opinion pieces. Read our writers’ work and feel their energy through their words. Take that energy and relentlessly use your voice. We know that we will.

xo, Evelyn Van Der Woodsen

Fashion is More We can all agree clothing is important.

clothing combinations made me wonder:

You either think of it as an essential mate- Why can’t I do that myself? I was amazed, rial to cover your bare body, or you think

shortly after clothes became way more

of it as a way to express yourself. Some

than just a pair of jean and a t-shirt to me.

people don’t care much about dressing up While wandering through the shopping

or about the assembling of different pieces arcades, I became much more aware of the of clothing. However, for others it can be

importance of fashion. How you clothes

a way to convey their feelings and portray can define you and how other perceive themselves.

you. I wanted to wear clothes that defined

I stand with the second group, while I

me more, made me want to take fancy

know plenty of people standing with the

pictures and create stories with them. I

first one.

began shopping for clothes with a precise idea of an outfit in mind as opposed to

I used to see fashion as something way out buying mindlessly. Fashion magazines or of my league; I thought that the only pret- websites became my best friends along ty clothes were the expensive ones. Hence with Instagram. Even though the world of I only wore t-shirts and jeans and paired

fashion might seem exclusive and a bit too

that with any basic shoes. Not much, but

shallow; it is really not that deep and nar-

enough to give the impression of putting

cissist. I see clothes as colour, patterns and

an (slight) effort. That wasn’t just enough materials that can be assembled. I see art for me.

and a way to express myself.

I proceeded with that mindset until I went On the days where I feel like channelling to Paris for my first year of University.

my inner rock star, I’d be wearing ripped

Seeing so many different styles, different

jeans and a vintage shirt with some boots

e Than Fabric and a jean jacket. When I feel a little more

, “cute”, I’d be wearing a floral dress with

lace up shoes. Of course that is just how I see, you can see clothes combination differently and that is absolutely fine. Each

e one has different outlook when it comes to clothing, that’s what makes it unique. It all depends on the mood I’m in and how I want to feel that day. The different combinations are endless. You can wear the same piece of clothing but make it into different outfits. You can be continually creative and come up with so many different outfits, and that’s precisely what I like. Your style can be defined as “Chic, vintage, artsy, classic”, however it can also be diverse.

o You can constantly be trying new things and step out of your comfort zone. You are

d free; no one can impose you to wear something. Sometimes people think you dress to impress, however I strongly disagree. You can dress to send a certain vibe to others, but how you’ll be dressing is only up to you at the end of the day.

By Balkis Hmida

Fisherman’s Tale

By Orianna Childress

Here man sails.

I reside at the coast, a watcher, a former roamer.

The breath of mother diminished me, presumably man’s sigh.

Sea-dwellers leave their post.

I trickle along the waves, eyes darted at me, none I can actually see. heat consumes me.

Too repressed my insecurities are, no honest though focused, I project my internal projection.

Ideas afloat, Aid me back to the waterfront.

What's Love?

By Tatyana Williams

I don’t know if I’ll ever be loved.

It’s difficult for me to comprehend the term sometimes.

I see couples walking down the street but I can’t seem to not replace the faces with him and I. Love is a subject we can describe all the time.

In family, friends, movies but not in our minds.

I feel lost.

When I can’t experience what others have, it make me feel small.

What is wrong....with me? Is it the way I dress, or look in general?

Is it my basic brown eyes or tilted nose?

Is the fact that I can’t speak when other humans are around?

Or when guys do I stare at the ground?

Or maybe it’s the idea that I spent 5 minutes cheering myself up when I get easily be put back down.

Or it’s the fact that I can list more wrongs about myself than good or that my anxiety gets the best of me or....

Sometimes I can’t stop talking about my flaws.

But isn’t love learning to accept them.

Maybe it’s about appreciating your self worth before another.

Having deep care for my friends?

Appreciating the goodness my family brings.

But it’s not the love I desire or crave.

It’s the love I have which I have settled to.

So will I ever be loved? I don’t know.

Will someone see me with and without flaws? Maybe.

But hopefully one day I can learn to love myself before I dive into love at all.

How One Teen’s Battle with Chronic Illness Helped Her Find Her Inner Artist

Written by Daryl Perry

Ava Williams* is a high school senior who’s Co-Editor-in-Chief of her school’s literary magazine and the lead singer of a rock band.

Williams has grown up in a tight-knit neighborhood where everyone knows everyone, raised by two loving and doting parents.

But it wasn’t always like that.

her daughter. “She was struggling to find that for a really long time and she finally got it. I owe a lot to them, but still, the relationship was stressed because there was all this pressure on me and I had no idea what was going on and I was depressed and I was scared...and everything was really difficult.”

As Williams’ condition got worse, she went Throughout Williams’ life, she’s dealt with to the doctor and received the first of many various health problems. When she was in the diagnoses: Costochondritis. “It has something fourth grade she started to have anxiety and to do with the cartilage of the ribs, which is couldn’t sleep the night. Her digestive system why this part of my body was in so much pain wasn’t doing well either, and she had to see all the time and why it was very hard for me many different specialists. She improved over to do stuff,” Williams said. “But it wasn’t just time but was depressed and unmotivated. that, it was a lack of mobility and a lack of well...trying, honestly because I didn’t know One day in September 2016 changed her life what was wrong there. I was scared, my parforever. She started to exercise more in her ents were scared.” This diagnosis only led to spare time, “I had started to work out bemore questions, and five months later, Ava cause I wanted to be skinnier. Which I think and her family made their first trip to Hernis something that a lot of girls can relate to, don, Virginia to see a cardiologist. especially my age.” After doing many sit-ups, she started to have severe stomach pain. Grad- “We finally in February...went to Herndon, ually, Williams started to move around less. Virginia and saw this great cardiologist who The more motionless she became, the more diagnosed me with EDS [Ehlers-Danlos synrelentless the pain. “I got on NSAIDS to help drome] and POTS [Postural orthostatic tachythe pain and got ulcers. I started throwing up cardia syndrome].” all the time, and things just kind of escalated from there.”

The road to getting there wasn’t easy though.

Williams wasn’t in school for months and Her schedule for the next couple of months took up online tutoring. She also did physibecame very sporadic. She tried going back to cal therapy from December 2016 until March school when she could to take tests, but it was 2017. And to get diagnosed with POTS, she challenging socially. “... it made social things went through a tedious test called the “tilt harder because you can’t exactly make friends table test”. really—I guess I’m not really an online friends person. I find it better to make lasting “You’re strapped to this table and you’re lying connections with the people around you. I down for ten minutes and they test your blood couldn’t make friends with anyone because I flow...I couldn’t do this with any medication wasn’t regularly seeing anyone other than my that I was on...I didn’t realize how much it parents and my doctors.” was actually helping until I had to go without it.” Williams said. “Then they titled the table On the other hand, the relationship with her upright...it measured how my blood was flowparents was stressed. Ava’s mom got a job she ing. I could only last ten minutes when I was wanted, (being a paraeducator for the county) supposed to go for twenty, and I but had to quit it in order to help take care of

thought I was gonna throw up...All my blood was pool- her junior year in high school and she was taking four tr ing to my feet. The straps that were bound to me around AP classes at the time,” she says. Williams told this one c my chest and stomach, I couldn’t stay upright. They final- friend about her diagnosis and didn’t go very well. “She ly let me down and measured it for the last ten minutes basically told me in short terms that it was hard for her to T again to see how the reaction was.” spend time around me because it hurt to me sick. While I “ get that from a perspective, it’s definitely so damaging to e After Williams’ second diagnoses, she was prescribed a relationship.” e new medication. She pushed through and did the physical a therapy exercises in her room to become slightly more “You can have very different things going on in your to mobile. She walked around slowly. Williams’ mobility life but going through something like that, it makes you th was still limited, so she was in a wheelchair to help move know who’s there for you.” le around faster. d In October 2017, Ava’s c Her new regimen caused parents registered her into a slight improvement in the Mayo Clinic Pediatric S her health, and she evenPain Rehabilitation Program ti tually wanted to go back (PPRC), which is a three- e to public school. “I tried week outpatient program b to go back to school for a for teenagers to help deal n couple days at the beginwith their pain in healthy ning of the semester so ways. Williams got there A that I could start doing a week early to meet with I classes again,” she says. another doctor. “...at Mayo, tl “But I was so anxious in they said I don’t have EDS le that environment and so anymore but I definitely s scared.” Other students have POTS, I have really M stared as she went through bad POTS.” The start of s the hallways.

PPRC followed this final diagnosis. “ “I could tell people were d looking at me and I didn’t To say Williams’ felt relief s like it. I didn’t like all from getting diagnosed was m the attention. It’s never an understatement. “And good to have attention for that might sound really A something you’re never weird to hear, but for a real- li proud of. And I really ly long time there was this th wasn’t proud of it at that fear, and all this not know- m point.” Ava unenrolled from school quickly and went ing—it was so scary and lonely and just uncomfortable. c back to her previous arrangements.

So when I finally got these concrete things that I could jo say, ‘this is why what’s happening is happening. This w Williams’ illness deeply affected her social life. Before is what is wrong with me. “It was amazing to feel,” she a her injury, she transferred from her old high school to says. “And Mayo, on the other hand, teaches you how to a new one in hopes of having a fresh start. At her old not identify with it, which is good because you can think “ school, she didn’t have many peers she could trust and of yourself as a person, not a patient.” it felt out of place since many people had known each other w for years. “And the one friend that I really had was going There is a parent part and a patient part of the program, lu to move away at the end of the year. So, I decided to and when those two come together they are called family d transfer.” groups. A large principle of PPRC is called moderating: h giving yourself space and know you can’t do everything Since she was at a new school right before her injury, she at once. “Instead of trying to do a ton of work, it’s giving A didn’t have a strong support system. She only had one yourself a little bit of room to breathe and saying ‘okay a close friend who she was best friends since birth. “It was I can’t do everything but this is what I can do.’ And just d

"For a really long time there was this fear, and all this not knowing.

It was so scary and lonely."

rying. It’s all about knowing your strengths and that you thought cycles and just not being able to put things can do a lot more than really you think.” aside,” she says. “It helps so much and so for me it’s not only creativity but also like therapy.”

The lessons were taught by Mayo and outside doctors.

“They taught us a lot of lessons...about sleep, stuff about A common theme throughout her discography is that the eating right, stuff about time management, like all differ- things she’s too afraid to say any other way. “And someent sorts of life skills. Some were more geared towards thing I want people to take away from it is that there’s actually coping with pain and some were more geared more to me than meets the eye.” owards helpful life skills.” Williams says. “The great hing about a lot of the lessons is that not just the patients Ava is now in her senior year of high school, tackling evearned from it, but the parents too.” Ava met other teens erything she can to make sure she graduates on time. She dealing with similar issues as her, and they still keep in was out of school for a year, which put her behind. At her contact today. new school, she’s made a group of friends who she also is in an unnamed band with. Her writing skills have landSince Williams was still out of school, she had a lot of ed her a spot as the Co-Editor-in-Chief of her school’s ime on her hands. She started reading books. “...I think I literary magazine and she’s on top of the world. ended up in total over the course of the school year maybe reading...60 books—which is a lot, but just because I Not many people at her school know of her chronic needed to escape from what was going on around me.” illness, and she prefers to keep it that way. She doesn’t want to be known as Ava-the-chronically-ill person. “I Another outlet she used was music. “And then, of course, guess that’s a lot of the reason I don’t tell a lot of peohave always really liked singing ever since I was litple—especially in school.” People also ask a lot of quesle, and I had played the violin through ninth grade and tions such as why she’s taking a 10th-grade social studies earned to play the ukulele. And during the year I was class instead of electives. They think she has all her credsick, I picked up the guitar and started writing music.” its, when in fact she’s taking six core classes. “I’m trying Music was no longer a hobby, but a way to distract her- to graduate this year, so I’m playing catch up.” self from all that was going on.

Ava’s fellow peers find it appropriate to ask her these “And even if I was suffering a lot having a particularly prodding questions. Here’s what she has to say about difficult day, I could focus on something outside of my- this: “I think the nice thing about art is that you can self. And that’s what’s music had always kind of been to decide what’s your business and what’s other people’s me—a way to get through things.” businesses. It lets you pick and choose what you want to stay private and what you wanna open up about, which I Ava got better at the ukulele by looking up songs she find really empowering.” ikes and playing the chords. She also used the ukulele to hen pick up the guitar. “And I guess what made me find They also constantly wonder why she isn’t taking more my voice is that I didn’t really have anyone to talk to ex- AP classes since she got such a high SAT score. “I know cept for certain close friends, so a lot of what I did was to my strengths. I spent so long on that, so it’s kind of hard ournal,” she says. “And that was a nice way to figure out when people think they know what’s best for you when what was making me feel bad, to go through my ideas they don’t really know you at all.” and feelings and put them into nice little boxes.”

“Interpersonal relationships, your loved ones, and your “Because of that, music is what I did when I couldn’t put passions should be more important than a score or a job, t all together easily. It’s what happened when everything or any number of things that will make you happy. Peowas so much that I just had to scream it at the top of my ple will make you happy.” ungs. I guess what helped me find my voice was that. I didn’t know how to keep going without making people *Ava is not her real name, the interviewee has decided to hear me.” remain anonymous.

Ava writes music because it makes her feel good. She’s able to work through situations in a positive and productive way instead of “moping and having obsessive

Story by Meredith Bushman

Image Courtesy of Olivia Gatwood Pink Suit Photos By Holy Smoke Photography Portrait By Isabel Fuentes

OLIVIA GATWOOD FINDS HER VOICE

or Olivia Gatwood, writing has alway Gatwood writes. She shared,”I really ways been a constant in her life. From try to be intentional about everything that I a young age, that’s how she’s been do, and I think my activism as writing kind of able to best express herself and com- lead me there, it made me realize that writing municate with the world surrounding is a really influential act, and that when you’re her. a writer that people read, people are turning However, poetry has been the form of writing to you for answers a lot of the times. And that stood apart from the rest for Gatwood, that can be a lot of pressure, but I think that “From the time I was really young, I feel like that pressure has definitely changed the way I I understood [poetry]. I like the rhythm of it, function as an artist,” explained Gatwood.

I like reading it aloud,” said Gatwood in a phone interview.

Gatwood’s writing has brought her some backlash from more extremist groups. GatNow, at the age of 26, Gatwood has been wood shared that on one occasion she was able to make her passion her career. She has trolled by men’s rights activists online. Howundoubtedly excelled in the world of poetry, ever, she has not let these distasteful comauthoring New American Best Friend, a col- ments have any influence over what she does. lection of Gatwood’s written word, as well as “It impacted how careful I am on the intertouring as a spoken word poet. net… I feel really private and personal about my life because I want to be safe, but no, it What makes Gatwood stand apart from other has not changed what I write about,” Gatwood spoken word poets is not her young age or her said about the hateful comments she was left. success, but rather the background that she’s had that impacts her poetry. Along with being The backlash does not stop with men’s rights a poet, Gatwood is also a Title IX Complaint groups, however. As with any artform, a writeducator in sexual assault prevention and er’s perspective and narratives will change recovery. over time as they gain more experiences and perspectives. However, certain readers have a “I started to use my work as an educational hard time accepting this, and denounce Gattool when I went on tour after I graduated wood for her changes, claiming they ‘liked college, which was around 2015. I started to her better before’. To this, Gatwood responds, refocus and think about how my pieces could “ Thank goodness if I’ve changed-I wrote Ode almost be bullet points in a lecture, and I to my Bitch Face when I was twenty-two, I’m didn’t necessarily write for that, but I looked twenty-six now- if I’ve changed in four years, at what I was already writing and working it than thank god”. into a classroom,” said Gatwood.

Hateful comments are not the only thing that However, the refocusing of her work to a poets today have to combat. As more and more political place was not unsuspected for more poets have begun their careers, there Gatwood. For her, there has never been a has been more of a presence online of both boundary between personal and political when spoken word and general poetry. For examit comes to poetry. “Spoken word is a very po- ple, when scrolling through your Instagram or litical artform, so it was natural for me to veer VSCO feed, it’s likely you’ll see at least one in that direction,” said Gatwood. short poem, written in a simple font on a plain background that has a generalized message Taking such strong stances has impacted the that most

will find ‘relatable’.

For some, this genre that gets so much attention can be intimidating, and it begs the questions, should I be writing like that? Would I be getting more readers and views online if I wrote like that? For Gatwood, it’s a process of resisting these feelings, and staying true to your own voice.

In order to maintain her originality and avoid falling into the trendier side of poetry writing, Gatwood says that she

the new possibilities of poetry, and how poetry can exist in exciting, original, ways by reading the work of my peers,” Gatwood explained.

“It's about honoring what your voice is asking from you.”

“It might not be that viral poem that everyone loved, but it will be a poem, and people will love it. And I think that it’s just reminding myself it’s still in me, and that it will come out when it needs to,” said Gatwood.

Despite the challenges Gatwood has faced in her career, she has been able to maintain her empowering and inspiring work, and remain original while doing so.

“It’s about honoring what your voice is asking from you, and that’s the only tries to consume as much way I think you can poetry as she can. write well-to remain honest. As soon as you “I know that sounds try to write something counterintuitive, but we else, it comes off as inalways become better genuine,” said Gatwood. writers by reading- I’m always learning about .

f o d l r o w e h t o t n I f f a W

By Balkis Hmida

Meet the Tunisian VJing artist Wafa Ben Romdhane. VJing

signify the art of “realtime visual performances that results in

Yes, mainly with its ephemeral dimension. Nowadays, images

and dancers.” To understand more about how WAF found her

tion. Through VJing, I am trying to recover that “In the mo-

a live multimedia performance that can include music, actors voice within this art, we interviewed her .

Why VJing instead of another art?

have lost all their singularity due to all the ways of reproducment” aspect that can only be completed by the spectator. It

gives me the opportunity to create an opening in an unfamiliar space-time that I fill with my own ideas and representations.

I was long attracted to images and their power on the spec-

What did you feel when you first discovered VJing?

something that happens in the moment, projecting images live

Like a child that discovered for the first time their toys. I felt a

tator for its ability to convey ideas. As you know, VJing is

without a big groundwork beforehand. That allows me to root my creation at the same time as the music is being played.

How does VJing complete you?

As I said, it allows me to relay my ideas but it also is an extended version of me. I like

reflecting bits of my

being or just bits of my past and present expe-

riences. It allows me to get through my emo-

tions to make them into utopias. As opposed to

television where images

are imposed and without

door opening into a wide experimentation field.

If you didn’t discover this art,

Living by itself is artistic nowadays. , g in k a e p s , g in s s e r D e id ts u o g in o g , g in k thin . e r a o s l a g in r e d n a and w

a big choice range, VJing is perpetually renewed. One minute there’s a sentence and the next minute something that has no link with what was shown previously.

How do you express yourself through this art?

would you have found another way to express yourself?

I used to sing in a band

called “Garde robe” (wardrobe in French), it was

indeed another important

way of expressing myself.

Singing is a significant way to give birth to ideas and

diverse emotions. Facebook and Instagram are also

ways to express myself. I am completely addicted.

I don’t know if there’s a

proper way or a best way to express ourselves, instead we each pick the one that is the most suitable for us.

According to you, the only way that one can voice their feelings and find their voice is by doing something artistically?

Technically, I use a software called modul8, which is a wide

Not only. Living by itself is artistic nowadays. Dressing,

modify effects. I only have to prepare images and then the

like to think that our daily life can access an artistic dimen-

ocean of possibilities. With this software you can create and software handles the rest by offering me the needed tools to create.

Would you say that this art represents you?

speaking, thinking, going outside and wandering also are. I

sion. Living with that mindset could brighten our day-to-day

lives by adding joy, which progressively loses itself under the extent of a widespread torpor.

Speaking For The Slient soft humming sound permeated the room, interrupted by regular beeps and clicks through the machines that were attached via plastic tubes to the slumbering figure in the lone bed. Brian Anderson found himself lying inside a bleak white room with absolutely no recollection as to how he had gotten there. He sensed he knew where he was, yet he had never seen this place before.

As the door swung open and two nurses walked into the room, Brian realized his uncertainty and familiarity with this place was because he was in a bedridden state in a hospital. He asked for some explanation as to why he was there, but the women ignored him.

The echoes of their footsteps faded down the hall and with the closure of the door Brian found himself alone again with the placid machines. He wondered why his queries weren’t answered. He was awake, but no one seemed to notice. As Brian thought back on what he called out to the nurses, he became aware of the fact that no words had actually been spoken. He tried once again to shout to somebody, anybody, who would listen, but no noise came out. Frustrated with his aphasic state, Brian continued to search for a reason he couldn’t speak. Had he gotten a bad case of strep throat or was he in an accident where he damaged his hearing and his ability to speak as a result? With all this confusion overwhelming him, Brian drifted off to sleep.

A few days later when Brian was fully awake again, the door swung open, signaling the entrance of yet another doctor who paid no attention to his frantic signals to show he was there. It seemed like no big deal to him that after who knows how long, Brian was finally conscious. He then decided to walk over to the doctor to find out why he wasn’t responding. However, when Brian tried to move his legs, they didn’t budge. He crazily attempted to wiggle his toes, wave his arms, or do anything to get the doctors attention, but he didn’t move an inch. Brian proceeded to scream, shout and thrash around, but nothing worked, he had no voice, no way of communicating to anyone.

Now Brian was quite frightened as he settled on the conclusion that the only part of his body that seemed to work was his face. All he could do was look around the room, make facial expressions and blink. At this point, he was

hysterical and truly desperate to fin or experienced a stroke? Finally, a t Brian had watched a few medical sh brain dead people because they wer in a horrible accident and the docto why they were ignoring him? They spond in any way, so there was no p of this realization because if he cou facial muscles enough to mouth out would the doctors even know he wa tinual efforts to gain the focus into a long, sorrowful slumbe

When the next round of hospi room several days later, Brian them look his way. He blinked could manage in his condition simply checked a few machin

Soon after, Brian started to fe now? Neglect from doctors an What if they stopped feeding use anyways? As he sank into a pit sleep, Brian didn’t comprehend that

A little girl, about twelve years of a nurse, approached the edge of Brian because he knew at that moment tha from this nightmare was the chance see him. He contorted his face into ing the girl to laugh, but it wasn’t en right then in those few seconds befo looked back and forth between the g God that she would pick up the clue and even a little scared, but Brian c her that he needed her mother.

At last, the girl began to call to her looked strange. Without looking ov never seen a person in the condition Brian strived to make his motions m

By Jordan Deas

nd an explanation. Had he been paralyzed truly horrifying thought entered his mind. hows before where they have to unplug re unable to function. What if he had been or thought he was brain dead, so that was thought he would never be able to repoint in trying. Brian knew the capacities uld only blink, couldn’t even control his t words and they never looked at him, how as genuinely there? Exhausted by his cons of his doctors, Brian once again slipped er.

ital staff members made their way into his n tried anything he could think of to make d rapidly and made the wildest of faces he n, but no one took notice. The employees nes and walked out of his room again.

eel lonely and scared. Would this be his life nd an inability to interact with anyone? him or let him die because he was of no of depression while falling in and out of t two people had entered his room.

age, and presumably her mom, a n’s bed. Quickly, Brian needed a plan at his only hope for being rescued e that this young girl would sincerely all sorts of weird positions, causnough. Brian needed her attention ore she had to leave. Immediately, he girl and her mom rapidly, hoping to e. The girl began to look confused, continued to try his hardest to show

mom. She told her mother that the man ver, the mother dismissed her as having n that Brian was in before. However, as more alarming, the girl persisted in ex-

plaining to her mother that the man was making odd faces at her to try to tell her something. This got the mother’s attention quite quickly, for she took one look at Brian and ran out of the room.

The mother came back along with a hodgepodge of doctors, who all had a different reaction to Brian being awake and their own type of test to run on him. Brian breathed a sigh of relief. He was saved.

Four months later and Brian had completed much larger strides in his recovery than making bizarre faces at a young girl. After learning he was responsive, the doctors transferred him into the rehabilitation wing of the hospital for individuals with severe, traumatic brain injuries, which allowed him to undergo intense physical and mental therapy. Brian was told he most likely would not be able to walk, talk or even move again, but after his struggle to find a way to communicate, he felt as if he could accomplish anything, With this mantra, Brian was right. He had learned how to stand, write and even walk again. Brian was never able to do these tasks in the same, normal way as everyone else, he had no memories of his past life and no ability to speak, but he couldn’t be happier to just be alive. He had learned how to use motions, sign language, and facial expressions to interact with others, giving him a stable and happy lifestyle. Due to his experience, Brian was inspired to dedicate his life to helping others, especially children, with situations similar to what he had survived.

Every day he thought back to that girl and what would have happened if she hadn’t have come in that day. Brian couldn’t be more grateful to her and all she did for him, possibly without even knowing it too. She not only saved him, but she inspired him. He was able to find his new self and determine who he wanted to become. Brian could never speak again, but that girl had allowed him to find his voice.

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