Stung by bees, he lost his hearing and could not speak. He went on to father 14 children

When thousands of bees swarmed out of the hive they had hit with a stick, the older children in the small Laotian village ran away, but Yong, only 2 years old and unaware of impending danger, continued to stand on the muddy ground under the tree. The result was hundreds of stings on his neck and face, and he became unconscious. The family prepared for him to die, but two days later he woke up. The course of his life was set in that moment, as he had lost the ability to hear and to speak. Both his parents were deceased and he was being raised by a young uncle. There was no medical help in this poor, rural setting that could alter the trajectory of the severe damage he experienced.

That was more than 70 years ago. The toddler, of Hmong heritage, is now a Fresno father of 14 and grandfather of more than 25.

Growing up deaf and mute in his Laotian village, he was bullied by others who were mean to him, and assigned menial tasks to him because they assumed he was dull. He loved animals and had herds of cows and pigs, which he supported by being a farmer of traditional Hmong vegetables.

Yong used his considerable intelligence, creativity and determination to become a silversmith. He become known locally as a fabricator of precious Hmong silver jewelry as well as significant cultural artifacts, like Hmong knives, silver chains and a special tool used to pound money that is burned at funerals. Silver plays a special place in Hmong culture and denotes a family’s wealth. He also made some cooking pots, one of which he still owns, and regrets leaving his hand-forged kettle in Thailand.

He first married as a teenager in Laos. He had a girlfriend, but an older brother convinced him to marry a widow because she would require a lesser dowry and would be more accepting of a deaf spouse. They had four children, and then he lost her to a heart attack. Eventually he married a younger Hmong woman. Two of their 10 children were born in Thailand. During the Vietnam War, because he was seen as smart and strong, he was asked to ride on airplanes and throw bags of rice to starving villagers in Thailand.

There he had a small group of friends who were deaf and together they began studying American Sign Language; today Yong signs mostly in Hmong, as do all family members when communicating with him. From Thailand he and his wife came to Fresno in 1989 with their two little children at the insistence of a brother who said, “Because you are deaf you should follow me, your older brother.” Yong eventually had eight more children here. They were instructed to speak Hmong at home, but learned English in school.

The younger of the two children born in Thailand eventually began studying nursing pre-requirements at Fresno City College. When she married and had three children, she postponed her dreams in order to help raise her young family. We met after I had an accident and required home health care. I saw immediately how kind, bright and efficient she was. As we got to know each other we exchanged confidences about our families. She mentioned that her father used sign language, and then told me his poignant story. She and her siblings grew up signing “as naturally as breathing,” she explained to me.

In Fresno Yong and his wife continued to farm okra, collard greens and other crops they would sell at local Hmong markets. Because of his communication problems Yong was a “house husband”, taking care of their many children. Still skilled with his hands, Yong continues making Hmong silver jewelry as well as making toys out of wood and metal for his young grandchildren.

The family has valued education. Several of Yong’s children are nurses, another is a chef, and one works in the admissions office at a community college. The three youngest are still in high school with varied interests in the military , science and other fields. My young friend, the last to be born in Thailand, has a special relationship with Yong. He is a loving babysitter for her three children, and she in turn gives back in many ways, including cheering him up when he is down. “I am my father’s heart,” she says proudly.

This story was originally published February 23, 2020 at 7:00 AM.