Our story with hearing loss began when our second child was born. Ayden was diagnosed with mild to moderate, permanent, hearing loss in both ears. I had no idea what our lives would look like. Additionally, I did not know a single person who wore hearing aids. Our thoughts began to spiral to shame and fear: would he be able to enjoy music, connect with his siblings, or play on at the park without getting picked on?
Hope After Hearing Loss Diagnosis
One way I found hope after Ayden’s diagnosis, was by researching and learning all I could about the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. Watching videos of other families and children with hearing loss was incredibly therapeutic for me. For example, the company that made my children’s hearing aids, Phonak, has a website that I landed on often – HearingLikeMe.com. On this site, they often feature other deaf and hearing loss families. These’s stories of other families hope has inspired me to do the same.
Each Story Is Unique
Every person and every family has a different story, but each one deserves to be heard. Celebrating all that makes my children fun and unique – including their hearing loss is life-giving. Living with a disability creates a depth to life. We hope that our story can breathe hope into other parents.
If you too just found out your child has a disability like hearing loss, you too might be flooded with the waves of emotions. Let us be a voice in that crowd reminding you that you are not alone. We invite you to walk this journey with us and would love to see yours.
Having a child with hearing loss does have challenges. But, the amount of joy we experience as a family outweighs the grief by a million times. With the help of hearing aids, or “super ears” as we would like to call them, Ayden gets to experience everything he loves. He is an everyday energetic and wild boy and we can not get enough of him.
This is really wonderful! I love his guitar performance. I’m so glad you have found the right help for both of your children. They are kids first and kids with a hearing loss second!
Hey Pat! Thank you for reading and watching. Ayden is really quite a character. And I too am thankful to live in a time where hearing aids are accessible and support is available!