“I was too ashamed of my differences to accept my hearing aids. I hid them behind my hair and tried my best to fit in. When I couldn’t, I’d ‘forget’ them at home. I didn’t want to be ‘hearing impaired.’ I wanted to be normal.”
‘Have you ever considered the label of deaf?’ I was riddled with anxiety. For the first time, I wasn’t the odd one out.’: Woman advocates for hearing loss, ‘Someday, we won’t need to fight’
‘You need to tie your hair up.’ I ran home in tears. My hair was my shield. Without it, I felt lost and defenseless.’: Woman with hearing loss becomes advocate, ‘I no longer want to hide’
“I deliberately chose brown hearing aids to match my hair. ‘I want them to be invisible to everyone.’ I made sure my hair was always covering my ears. This became the perfect disguise.”
‘I told myself, ‘It won’t last forever.’ I was self-conscious about my looks. It was holding me back.’: Woman with Treacher Collins Syndrome says ‘I choose to feel nothing but empowered’
“I decided, ‘I’m going to shave my head.’ I used my long hair as a shield, but once I didn’t have it anymore, I was forced to be seen. All of my differences were out in the open. I had no choice but to embrace what made me different.”
‘It’s not worth it to try and talk to you.’ People think it’s a joke. I learned early on I wasn’t going to ‘fit in.’: Singer-songwriter with hearing loss says, ‘I’ll never let it get in my way’
“I’ve been left at home because I didn’t hear my parents yell, ‘We’re leaving!’ Being a family of six, no one realized I wasn’t in the car! Life is too short to get flustered over things like that.”
‘You’re so deaf sometimes!’ My eyes started watering. I felt so alone and worthless. I decided to keep my deafness a secret.’: Woman advocates for deaf awareness, ‘I’m proud of myself’
“I was the quiet, deaf girl with no confidence. ‘Why is everyone looking at me?’ The closer we got to school, the tighter I grabbed my hair so my hearing aids wouldn’t be seen.”
‘He has a growth.’ No one came to help. We had to watch a YouTube video on how to feed our newborn.’: Mom shares son’s journey with cleft palate, ‘We do it for our babies’
“The nurse dropped the bottle on the counter and left. It gave him a massive blister on the little bit of palate he had. He lost over a pounds in 3 days. He was starving!”
‘I’m worried to give you the spot because of your hearing.’ I was mortified. I needed to prove him wrong.’: Student with hearing loss becomes advocate, ‘I’m proud of myself’
“The coach pulled me aside. ‘You have the skills, but I’m worried you’ll miss commands.’ I wasn’t about to let someone make assumptions based on my disability.”
‘This won’t change his love for you.’ I was deep in wedding planning. They MUST have the wrong person.’: Woman diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis travels world, ‘Fear doesn’t control me’
“Dizzy and still very much half-deaf, she insisted I see her doctor. ‘That can’t be MY brain.’ No one could agree on what was happening to my body. I felt cheated.”
‘Xander may only have one or two years to live.’ We were completely blindsided. I’m not supposed to outlive my son.’: Mom feels ‘helpless’ through son’s heart transplant and liver cancer, ‘I can’t give up’
“A year after his transplant, Xander started throwing up. I rushed him to the E.R. because I thought he was facing organ rejection. The words were crippling. I wanted to grab the cancer with my bare hands and fight it to death.”
‘You know we work at the same Kroger, right? I’m a cashier.’ His opening line didn’t impress me. Something told me to respond.’: Woman with hearing loss finds true love who allows her to be herself
“His demeanor was off-putting. I am deaf in my right ear, and wear a hearing aid in my left ear. It was one of the most excruciating first dates I’ve ever had. ‘I’m going back to his place, just so you know.’ I was unsure if he was alluding to something sexual.”
