SignWriting

The story Deaf Like Me begins with a young married couple, Louise and Thomas Spradley, waking up in the middle of the night and panicking about the child they are expecting. Louise is five months pregnant with the couple 's second child. They already have a three and a half year old one named Bruce who became ill last summer. When taking him to the doctors, Louise finds out that Bruce has German measles, or rubella. The doctor notifies Louise that if she is pregnant there can be possible congenital defects in the newborn. The doctor’s warning was the main cause for the many sleepless nights the couple endured, although they still had hope that everything would be alright with their baby.This illness causes a drastic change in the family’s life forever because Louise discovers that she was pregnant and the disease negatively influences the newborn. On April 16,1965 Louise and Tom had a normal and healthy baby girl named Lynn. The couple was relieved to find out that their baby had no physical deformities or any noticeable mental impairments. As months pass, Lynn continues to grow and develop just like every other baby. The couples lingering fears came back on the Fourth of July. During the fourth of july fireworks and parade, Lynn was sleeping. She did not wake up or flinch from all the noise and excitement. “She could have been lying alone in her quiet bedroom enjoying the stillness of a summer day” (page 16). This was the first indication to the couple that Lynn might be…