An inspiring story of twin brothers who decided to make the best of the bodies they'd been dealt.

[pnwmom]

There's a video at the link of the young men. If you only have time for a few minute video or a few minutes of reading, WATCH THE VIDEO.

https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/585814/pearson-twins/

Adam and Neil Pearson are identical twins, but you’d never know it from looking at them. Although they share the same DNA, their appearances are vastly different; each suffers from neurofibromatosis, a rare genetic disorder that has affected them in divergent ways. They tell their story in Jonathan Braue’s deeply affecting short documentary, The Pearson Twins.

“I was always aware that I had the same condition as him, but also fully aware that he had the facial disfigurement and I didn’t,” Neil says in the film. Adam suffers from benign tumors that began forming on his face when the Pearsons were boys. They grew progressively worse over time. In school, he endured much bullying—“one of the worst things a human can do to another human,” as he describes it in the film. As an adult, Adam explains that he can never go anywhere without being gaped at. Neil, meanwhile, appears physically unscathed but experiences neurological problems that severely impair his memory.

Despite their individual plights, the twins share an unshakable bond and a penchant for resilience, which has led them to develop an inspiring perspective on their situation.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Humbling. And he is right about bullying...

the worst you can do to someone else.
Bless them both. And the Mom.

[UniteFightBack]

2. No plain vanilla for me either !! nt

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. When I see people like Adam, so resilient

In spite of their disability, I feel like such an asshole in my self pity for my stupid (relatively) little problems.

[USALiberal]

27. I think about the same thing daily! I really have nothing to whine about! Nt

[ChazII]

4. My son and I also have NF1.

From birth through 6th grade the bullying was non-stop. Pre-school age to kindergarten he was called monster baby and freak.

He just had a mangliant brain tumor removed which could be NF1 related. The world can be extremely cruel for those whose bodies are different. I will need to watch the video but even without seeing it and can vouch for its truthfulness when it comes to NF. May is NF awareness month.

[pnwmom]

7. I hope you watch the video. The young men have strong, resilient spirts and their mother

is wonderful, too.

I'm so sorry about what your son went through in school. For both of you it must have been devastating. I know how much it hurt me to be mocked for a physical characteristic (being called Steel Wool and Brillo because of my hair) -- so I have a tiny sense of what your son must have gone through. I don't understand how people can take so much pleasure in being mean.

And now, to learn he had a malignant tumor. There are no words. Again, I am so very sorry. Jimmy Carter was right -- life isn't fair.

[okaawhatever]

14. I am so sorry that people treated you and your son the way they did. I wish I could say somthing to

make you and your son feel better, but I can't. Some people are just a$$holes. It is clear who the real monsters were, and it wasn't your son. FWIW I was always tall and one of the biggest kids in elementary school (female) and I used that advantage to stop more than one bully on the playground.

[ChazII]

18. My son looks like Quasimodo

in the Disney version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and has the same loving heart. That Disney movie is hard for me to watch. Every Halloween until he was around 12 someone would echo the line Esmeralda utters, "Great Mask." By the time the person says the /k/ sound they realized it was his face and not a mask. Like these brothers my son made it through life. Oddly enough middle and high school peers were far more kind than those in elementary school.

It is comforting to read that you were able to stop others from being bullied. Somewhere those moms if they know what you did would be thanking you.

[USALiberal]

28. Thank you so much for posting this! I learned a lot! Nt

[japple]

5. Great video. So refreshing to see a story like this one. The Pearson brothers are

remarkable for the way they have chosen to live their lives and their Mom is a testament to the power of wisdom and love.

Thank you for posting this.

[pnwmom]

6. You're welcome. I thought the mom was terrific, too. n/t

[cp]

8. Humane and moving

Clearly told. Both brothers and their mother are resilient and loving in the deepest way. A tale of great kindness.
Thank you very much for posting this and urging us to watch the video.

[pnwmom]

9. You're welcome. I often skip video parts of posts, but I'm glad I didn't this time! n/t

[Hamlette]

10. excellent

[samnsara]

11. you start out thinking one is the caregiver and turns out the

...other is the 'big brother'...so touching!

[AllaN01Bear]

12. i couldnt watch it after the bullying part. i understand it been thru it.

as for the school district they can well ,, you know. these 2 have lotsa courage in my book. i wish them well.btw: welcome to the meanist place on earth.luv that familys unconditional love for them.

[pnwmom]

13. I'm sorry you stopped watching -- the brother with the facial deformity truly triumphs.

And both brothers are leading good lives. And yes, their mother I'm sure has been a big part of their resilience.

[AllaN01Bear]

16. im sure their mother was and is their bigest advocate.

[loyalsister]

15. FYI

I know it is intended as a positive, but nondisabled people have an annoying habit of exploiting disabled people with these kinds of stories.

[pnwmom]

17. These brothers are not being exploited by anyone -- unless you think this woman is exploited

by the people who arranged for her TED talk.

Did you watch the video?

[loyalsister]

19. It was her talk

She arranged to do it so she could share her perspective. If you were watching, you would have noticed that the exploitation comes from people getting satisfaction out of marveling at disabled bodies doing things the best way they can. In a spirit of "at least I'm not that person." Or patting themselves on the back for being interested.

[pnwmom]

20. If you watched the video about the twins, it showed Adam, the twin with the facial symptoms, on TV

and on a stage giving a talk.

The brothers are in a similar position as the woman in your TED talk. They aren't being exploited by anyone else. They are choosing their audiences and delivering their own message.

Adam, the brother with the disfigurement, is an actor and a researcher.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Pearson_(actor)

Pearson graduated from Brighton University with a degree in business management. He worked various jobs in television production for the BBC and Channel 4 including the shows The Undateables and Beauty and the Beast.[4]

In 2013, he was cast alongside Scarlett Johansson in Jonathan Glazer's film Under the Skin. He said that he hoped the role would challenge disfigurement stigma.[6] He worked as a researcher for the BBC and Channel 4 before becoming a strand presenter on the first series of Beauty And The Beast: The Ugly Face Of Prejudice on Channel 4. He was also one of the development team of Beauty And The Beast and consulted on the Dutch version of the series. Pearson has worked on all five series of The Undateables for Channel 4 as the casting researcher. He has presented the BBC Three documentaries, Adam Pearson: Freak Show and The Ugly Face Of Disability Hate Crime, and appeared as a reporter in the Channel 4 series, Tricks Of The Restaurant Trade.[7] Pearson has expressed interest in playing a James Bond villain.

Pearson was nominated as UK Documentary Presenter of the Year at the 2016 Grierson Awards.

[loyalsister]

21. Your headline called them inspirational

That is the exploitation.

[pnwmom]

22. I think AOC and Mayor Pete are inspirational too. It's not an insult. n/t

[loyalsister]

23. I think you would agree

that a narrative suggesting that AOC is inspirational because she is smart despite her anatomy would be insulting. It's interesting when feminists reject the argument that making the story about the "disadvantages" of bodily difference is problematic.

[pnwmom]

24. And I'm not saying the twin brothers are smart despite their anatomy, either. nt

[loyalsister]

25. OP headline

"An inspiring story of twin brothers who decided to make the best of the bodies they'd been dealt"

[pnwmom]

26. That comes from words out of their mouths. If you'd watched the video, you'd know that. n/t

[loyalsister]

29. YesThey didn't write the headline

Why would it be okay to make the comment about their body the headline in this case when if a woman made a mention of her sex or gender we would not appreciate that becoming the headline. It suggests a devaluation of Hillary Clinton if she is discussed by other people as being successful DESPITE being a woman. Even if she mentions challenges of sexism, we would still rather she be understood as remarkable AND a woman not despite.

[pnwmom]

30. I think it is the same. Women's gender is still something that can pose an obstacle

because of the way society treats us. Hillary has been successful DESPITE the limitations society has put on her as a woman. (And if you don't think so, how many women were in her Yale law school class?) If Hillary had been inaugurated President, it would have been a BGD to be the first woman to have achieved the office. It's silly to pretend otherwise.

The young man with the facial tumors largest problem wasn't with the tumors themselves, because they were growing out, rather than in, but with society's reaction to him. In the same way, the issue has never been with women's capability, but society's reaction to our gender.

[loyalsister]

31. And still

the headline is about their body not the way they are treated. As with many headlines about disabled people suggesting that living in one that functions differently from the norm and smiling is an achievement. It's not okay to suggest that being a woman and not lamenting the horrors of having a female body is remarkable.

[pnwmom]

32. You missed a major point of that video because you didn't watch it.

The brother with the visible tumors was NOT the disabled one. The brother who can walk on the streets undisturbed by bullies has internal tumors that have caused epilepsy and short-term memory loss.

[loyalsister]

33. I'm referring to the headline

and the ableist interpretation of the story.

[pnwmom]

34. No. It's the opposite of ableist. But you go ahead and keep thinking that.

You've made up your mind that that video isn't worth watching because you don't like the subject line.

[loyalsister]

35. The inspiration narrative pushes an ableist stereotype

The idea that living in a disabled body is an inspirational achievement is damaging. Perpetuating it is ableism.

[ChazII]

36. Thank you, pnwmom

As a person that lives the life like that of the 'normal' looking twin, I have epilepsy, and the mother of a son who looks like Quasimodo, I can state that this family has everything together. It was stated the NF1 afflicts everyone differently and does not present itself in the same way in every case. Thank you for being understanding and compassionate.

[pnwmom]

37. Thank you, Chazil. Your comment means a lot to me.

And I'm wishing all the best for you and your son!

[thinkingagain]

39. I am so sorry that you and your son had to have a difficult time

with Nf1 and by those around you. It irritates me when people are cruel because someone is different from them.
As someone who has children and myself with mild cases of NF1 (so much so that Even the specialist are maybe possibly probably you have NF1) and my son just recently had the genetic test to confirm a positive) I feel blessed that it is so, but also have always been aware that other things can happen at anytime. As with my son he had a stroke at age 29 although they don't think it is related but (?)
Hugs from one parent to another who loves our children regardless of if they look like Quasimodo's or movie stars Because we know its what in the heart that counts.
Have a beautiful day.

[ChazII]

40. Beautifully stated

and thanks for posting. It is comforting to learn there are others with NF at the site. I wonder if DU has any members with NF2?

[thinkingagain]

38. Thank you pnwmom for this story

As someone who is familiar with NF1 and understand on how it can effect family members differently how much more of a perfect example then identical twins with the same disorder to huge varying degrees.
It also shows just because someone looks different that doesn’t mean they should be treated any different then you would want to be treated.