A Dark Silence

I grew up in a community with many deaf people as my father was a reverend at a congregation for the hearing impaired. This is how I came to know Oom Pierre van Zyl. Oom Pierre was one of the first residents at the De La Bat Home for the Elderly in Bellville (Die Rusoord vir Dowes). He was born deaf and lost his sight about 30 years ago. De La Bat was a safe haven for 84 year old Oom Pierre and others with hearing impairments. He relied on his senses of smell and touch to get around, and the institution provides a safe environment for him to move around freely, without having to depend on caregivers. As a young adult, I left South Africa to work and study abroad. When I returned to the community more than a decade later, I found Oom Pierre walking on his way to check for mail. I greeted him with an embrace and after a few seconds, he called me by my name. He had recognised me by scent. During the time of the pandemic, Oom Pierre's primary form of communication was reduced dramatically. Most people in his life tried not to make physical contact with him, for his own good, but it was very difficult for him to understand what was going on in the world. For him, his world became even smaller. Oom Pierre have now passed on from this life, but his resilience to overcome his adversities, inspired many of us to accept and overcome.