On November 11th, 1950, as America battled to win the war in Korea, a premature baby boy clung to life in an incubator at a San Francisco hospital.
Raymond Mayjoffo, as tiny as a doll when he was born, was about the size of a human hand when his family took him home. His mother devoted herself to his care, nursing him into a healthy toddler. At some point, she noticed, while Ray sat in his high chair, that he had stopped talking. Alarmed at Ray’s silence, she immediately took him to the doctor.
“My mom picked me up and took me to the hospital and the doctors told her I’d never be able to hear again, and that I would not be okay.” While speaking, Ray’s hands animate the memory of the doctor’s diagnosis he experienced as a toddler. “But I am “OK!”, he laughed.
Despite this setback, Ray went on to graduate high school and started working, “I worked as a janitor in the Federal Building on the Capitol Mall here in Sacramento.” He retired from his state job after 24 years of service.
Although Ray has a small pension it’s not enough to afford the skyrocketing rent in Sacramento. Studio apartments (499 sq. ft.) in Sacramento rent for, on average, $992 a month, while 1-bedroom apartments (675 sq. ft.) ask on average $1,139 a month.
A regular at Friendship Park since 2004 Ray says, “I like the coffee and food and visiting my friends who are here at the park.” Ray continues as he smiles, “I can wash my clothes here and it’s near my storage unit where I keep my bike, my cart and other things.”
Ray currently lives in a tent on the American River. Although hearing impaired from a young age, Ray’s wit, sense of humor, good nature and stubbornness have helped him find his way through a world of sharp faces, muffled sounds and soft muted tones.