First off, thank you author for writing this. I don’t know where to start since there is so much I want to say but I don’t want to overwrite. As a semi-deaf person who lost their hearing around my second to third year of college reading from Izuzu’s point of view made me feel sad yet validated. My family and a few friends knows I’m deaf but I don’t think they understand the daily hardships I face and they have simply personalized my daily struggle into my “personality”. I don’t like going out alone because I can’t hear, I run into moving objects (people, bikers, cars etc.) so I hesitate to go out due to the effort I must place on my surroundings. I wasn’t born being deaf so changing my habits hit me just too fast and too strong. I’m in a place in my life where I don’t want to do much anymore: go out, hang out with friends, meet new people, and drive. They all turn it into “you are just so scared” or “you are a cancer” or “why are you pessimistic”. I don’t have deaf friends or anyone to relate to so reading this made me feel like my entire struggle is NOT simply my fault or the way I am. I am not to blame, but its my current circumstance and me adjusting to it. I wish I had someone that cared enough about my situation to try to understand me a bit more instead of guilt tripping me into “having to change my personality”. Maybe one day I will feel better, but right now and for the past 2 years it has been really hard. I don’t think anyone that hasn’t gone through this can understand just how hard it is to want people to “help” you but without them making you feel like they are doing you a favor or pitying your situation. That is the end of my rant, this made me feel better. Thank you again for this great read.
Sekai de ichiban toui koi