Stories Among Us: A Short Story
Stories among Us
Mei Li was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 17, 1971. She was a happy and healthy baby. As she grew up, she had the urge to go to America. She wanted the job opportunities that the US had offered, but she was scared. She would be the first person of her family to go to America. She would have to go alone and explore this unfamiliar place. After comparing the pros and cons, she made up her mind.
Mei flew from Malaysia to New York. She got a job as a hairdresser nearby her apartment. Although she was one of the best stylists, she rarely got business. Mei didn’t get any customers because she didn’t speak English. After learning English from her neighbor, she was finally able to earn more money. After a few years of good …show more content…
When Elaine turned three, something disastrous had happened to Mei. She had been diagnosed with a type of throat cancer, laryngectomy. Mei had her larynx taken out, so now she can no longer talk. Because it is crucial for a young child to learn how to talk during their early years, Mei and her husband decided to send Elaine to Hong Kong, where Mei’s sister lives. Mei’s sister taught Elaine Cantonese and English. It was tough handling laryngectomy. Her husband would be constantly working multiple jobs to support treatment costs and they often missed Elaine. Thankfully, the love and support from her husband allowed her to recover quickly. Although Mei can’t talk by herself, she had gotten a special machine to help. The machine is called an electrolarynx. An electrolarynx is a handheld device that she held up to her throat, pressed a button, and then waves transmitted to project her voice. Although robotic, Mei’s voice can be clearly heard. After she got used to using the electrolarynx, Elaine, now 7 years old, came back home. They had a happy reunion and Elaine got used to her mother’s voice. Because of Mei’s handicapped voice, she had lost her job at the salon. Mei was upset, but she understood. After a failed search of jobs at other salons, she decided to work at home. After experiencing cancer, Mei learned how important voice is and tries to do the best she can to overcome this
Mei Li was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 17, 1971. She was a happy and healthy baby. As she grew up, she had the urge to go to America. She wanted the job opportunities that the US had offered, but she was scared. She would be the first person of her family to go to America. She would have to go alone and explore this unfamiliar place. After comparing the pros and cons, she made up her mind.
Mei flew from Malaysia to New York. She got a job as a hairdresser nearby her apartment. Although she was one of the best stylists, she rarely got business. Mei didn’t get any customers because she didn’t speak English. After learning English from her neighbor, she was finally able to earn more money. After a few years of good …show more content…
When Elaine turned three, something disastrous had happened to Mei. She had been diagnosed with a type of throat cancer, laryngectomy. Mei had her larynx taken out, so now she can no longer talk. Because it is crucial for a young child to learn how to talk during their early years, Mei and her husband decided to send Elaine to Hong Kong, where Mei’s sister lives. Mei’s sister taught Elaine Cantonese and English. It was tough handling laryngectomy. Her husband would be constantly working multiple jobs to support treatment costs and they often missed Elaine. Thankfully, the love and support from her husband allowed her to recover quickly. Although Mei can’t talk by herself, she had gotten a special machine to help. The machine is called an electrolarynx. An electrolarynx is a handheld device that she held up to her throat, pressed a button, and then waves transmitted to project her voice. Although robotic, Mei’s voice can be clearly heard. After she got used to using the electrolarynx, Elaine, now 7 years old, came back home. They had a happy reunion and Elaine got used to her mother’s voice. Because of Mei’s handicapped voice, she had lost her job at the salon. Mei was upset, but she understood. After a failed search of jobs at other salons, she decided to work at home. After experiencing cancer, Mei learned how important voice is and tries to do the best she can to overcome this