Nyle DiMarco Instagram – “But the heaven is full,” my eighty-nine year old grandpa smirked as he signed, teasing the doctor and throwing off the sign language interpreter a bit. Grandpa Lorenzo had a gift for his swift sense of humor. In the heart of almost-lawless Brooklyn in 1933, Grandpa was born profoundly Deaf to hearing immigrant parents out of Sicily. This nuclear family never spoke the same mother tongue (and never in English fluently), however, as we all know that love transcends boundaries; They developed a combination of home signs and Italian gestures. From that point and on, Grandpa knew no boundaries as a Deaf person. Growing up, it always seemed as though Grandpa had done it all as he told endless of stories — from driving a vehicle at 12 years old over the Brooklyn bridge (the phenomenon of the automobiles that subsequently required DMV aka driver’s license etc, did not happen for three-ish more decades) to one of my most favorite stories; Him and his Deaf crew building the United States military aircraft. The Deafies were among the best and the fastest. Now picture the irony — Deaf people were (and are) barred from enlisting in the military but the goddamn military planes were built by my Deaf grandpa’s hands. Oh man, I could continue writing about you, Grandpa Lorenzo. The world feels empty without you but you’ve lived and led a damn good life. I’m blessed to have lived with you in the same household for nearly the entirety of my life. Now, like I almost always call you via FaceTime to fire up the espresso machine prior to my arrival… I sure as hell am expecting a hot espresso for when we reunite. I love you Grandpa 🤟🏼