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<div>Brenden-John is a talented photographer whose work has graced the pages of L.A.’s culture-setting magazines for more than a decade. He's also an accomplished composer/musician who taught himself to play the clarinet and has written over twenty original, critically-acclaimed compositions. What makes all this even more impressive is the fact that our friend is <strong>deaf</strong>.  Fiercely independent yet quick to form a connection with everyone he meets, his disability never seems to get in the way. Then the world went into lockdown.  And for the first time in B-J’s* life, he found the silence deafening.
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<div>Those of us lucky enough to have spent any time around this vivacious people person soon learn basic lip-reading etiquette: <em>Talk normal</em>, <em>face him when speaking </em>(except when he's driving) and <em>try not to mumble</em>. He does the hard part, so conversations seem pretty normal. So much so that many of us forget he can't hear. This skill didn’t come easy at first. After a childhood infection damaged both eardrums, Brenden-John’s mother was so embarrassed by her son’s “handicap” that she refused to enroll him in ASL-based classes where he would have learned sign language with kids his age. After all, <em>what might the neighbors think?</em>  Despite that, Brenden-John prevailed by learning to read lips - underscoring a determination never to give in to this inability to hear like the rest of us. It's this strength that has allowed him to persevere over the years.
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<div>That all changed when Covid-19 struck and wearing masks suddenly became an <em>essential part </em>of daily life. In Los Angeles, it's still <em>required</em>. Overnight (and for the first time in his adult life), B-J's world quite literally shut down, sentencing him to a form of isolation few of us can even begin to comprehend. If you think this Covid thing has been rough, imagine what the past two years would have been like living through this ALONE - in a basement apartment - in total silence. <em>No work. No income. No social interactions with clients, neighbors, people in the checkout line, or even among friends. </em>Only digitized conversations via email, <span style="font-size:1.0625rem;">text messages and </span><span style="font-size:1.0625rem;">online deliveries - his life lines to the rest of the world. That is until his phone got shut off because there was no money to pay the bill.</span>
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<div>Then it all went completely silent.
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<div>Not surprisingly, severe depression soon set in and Brenden-John's immune system quickly became compromised. One night just before Christmas, paramedics were called. When they arrived, they immediately decided to rush Brenden-John to the ER where doctors discovered a bacterial infection from tainted food that was so pervasive that they directly placed him in the ICU. He would spend the next eight days fighting for his life. With Holiday Covid cases surging and placing a high demand on rooms, the hospital released B-J early to finish recovering safely at home. Weakened from the ordeal, he returned to his apartment to find someone had broken into it, taking what they could and trashing what they left.
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<div>Straight up, our friend has reached a breaking point and seriously needs some love right about now. We're hoping to raise enough donations to help him have food in his pantry, gas in his car, and help replace whatever else this man needs/wants/desires that might paste a goofy smile back on his face once again.  The bulk of it, however, will go towards his upcoming moving costs as soon as something materializes, since he no longer feels safe in his apartment.  And while it appears his landlord is willing to take a loss and let Brenden-John out of any past-due obligations, he's likely going to hold onto the security deposit.   So, if everyone reading this can pony up just a couple of bucks (or whatever you're able to spare), we can help B-J cover the next one.   More importantly, your show of support will clearly communicate the one thing he really needs to see again...
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<div><strong><em>HE IS NOT ALONE</em></strong>.
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<div>Sincerely,
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<div>Brenden-John's
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<div>Grubby Guardian Angels<br /><br />*Please Note:  We abbreviated Brenden-John to "BJ" here strictly for a smoother read; however, in person, we ask that you call him "Brenden-John" as he says it's way easier for him to lip read.  Thanks!
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Daniel Fulton

Brandon Baker

Ward Zintel

Anonymous

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