COLUMN: Viewpoint – A story that resonates

I told a friend I had just finished reading an autobiography by Steinbach area author Brittany Penner called Children Like Us. “Is that the same Brittany Penner who is my doctor?” my friend asked with a surprised look on her face.

Brittany Penner is indeed a physician at the Steinbach Family Medical Clinic, but she is also working on a master’s degree in creative writing from Harvard University. This week she launches her first book at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg.

I was totally engaged with the moving story in Children Like Us. Brittany, who is of Metis descent, was adopted by a couple in the Steinbach area on the day she was born in 1989. Her adoptive mother was from a Ukrainian background, and her father from a Mennonite family.

Her adoptive paternal grandparents, her paternal aunts and uncles, and her own parents took in literally hundreds of foster children who were Indigenous over the years. These ‘siblings’ and ‘cousins’ came and went from Brittany’s life as she was growing up. This left her constantly wondering if she too, would be sent away, even though she had been legally adopted, and her parents reassured here she would remain with them.

One person who gave Brittany a sense of stability and affirmation was her Baba, her maternal adoptive grandmother, who Brittany says made her feel like she was an endlessly fascinating person and cared about her deeply. Brittany often took refuge in her Baba’s home when things got tough. Eventually Brittany reconnected with her biological mother and some of her mother’s relatives. Throughout the book we see Brittany trying to figure out how all her different families fit together. She is searching for what ‘home’ can mean for her.

Brittany uses an interesting technique to tell some of her story. She provides a date and then writes about a photograph or video taken on that day. We don’t see the photo or video itself, but Brittany describes it, and the people in it, with vivid detail. Then she reflects on the images and how they illustrate some important aspect of her personality, world view, or character arc. These little ‘snapshots’ are excellent tools for providing revealing insight into Brittany’s life.

I think the thing I will remember most about the book is the explanation Brittany gives for being inspired to become a medical doctor. She and her mother are injured in a car accident. Her orthopedic surgeon looks at her with kind eyes and sings her to sleep as the anesthesia kicks in for her ensuing operation. Later when she goes to see him in his office he takes a real personal interest in Brittany. He jokes around with her and asks her about school, playing softball, and the animals on her farm.

As Brittany and her mother are leaving the physician’s office, he says to Brittany’s mother regarding her daughter, “Her personality will carry her far in life.” It is one of the kindest things anyone has ever said about Brittany, and she decides then and there she will be a doctor and make other people feel special and ‘seen’ the way that surgeon made her feel. Brittany’s experience reminds us that we never know how some kindness shown, or affirmation given, can make a huge difference in another person’s life.

I think Brittany’s story will be one that resonates with many people. But if you have made Steinbach or the surrounding area your home at some point in your life, you will probably find unique and personal ways to connect with her story. I know I certainly did!