The effect of his death on me was profound. I lost the ability to speak and remained more or less silent for just over three months. It was possible for me to make a noise with my vocal chords but it was uncontrollable and unintelligible and it frightened me to hear myself. During my tenth birthday party I made a great effort to use my tongue and lips to produce a little speech of thanks but it was as if they were paralysed and I ran upstairs in tears. Schoolwork was difficult and unkind boys made fun of me. When I began to talk again, it was with a stutter that affected all words beginning
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