If you no longer had the gift of words, how would you feel? I, honestly, would feel lost. Human beings, on the other hand, are distinguished from animals because they are able to lash out with words at any other like-minded person. And yet, what if I told you, that even without having the gift of words, we can still feel part of something and not totally lost?
The living evidence is Fanny, my younger sister who is on the autism spectrum. She doesn’t have the gift of words, she can say a little something like “mom, dad, Mimi” (my nickname) and a few other things, but no more. However, she didn’t feel lost even though she couldn’t speak because she found her way to communicate. It’s writing. In fact, for three years, my little sister has started a path called “augmentative writing”. Thanks to that, she is able to communicate with us through the computer. At first my parents and I were a little perplexed. I believe it’s normal to get scared in the face of new experiences, but luckily in the end we believed in this project, which changed our lives.
Although she couldn’t speak, she didn’t feel lost because she found her own way to communicate: writing
In the summer of 2020 I started writing with her at home, in dad’s office. Out of the blue, Fanny writes to me: “I love you”. You can’t imagine my joy in hearing this sentence for the first time after knowing my sister for seventeen years: I cried like a fountain, to the point that she added – again through the computer – “Stop crying, I don’t want to see you sad”. It was one of the best moments of my life.
Fanny expressed her greatest desire: to become a children’s short story writer. At her age (Fanny is 17 years old, I am 19) everyone is confused about what they want to do when they grow up, but she is so determined and strong. She has a desire to live her life and found her way by doing what she likes to do best. She sees a future for herself, and wants to make her contribution to our society.
Fanny tells us that to feel understood and realize your priority in life, you do not necessarily need the gift of words: rather, you need lots of determination, the desire to live, and to be useful. As, simply, my little sister does.
Translation from Italian to English by Daniela Bachman on the initiative of the “Italian 251: Composition & Conversation II” course taught by Nives Valli using the Service-Learning pedagogical approach at John Felice Rome Center della Loyola University Chicago.
