My daughter has what’s called a Bilateral, Sensorineural hearing loss. There is no “cure” for it and I’ve been told that her hearing will not get any better nor will it get any worse. Gabriella will be 4 in January and I am so grateful for the speech therapists, teachers, and Audiologist that have come into her life. Since the very first test and her very first set of hearing aids at 5 months she has been in great hands, but the struggle was still there…
The struggle of having to take 2 days off of work a week to be able to take her to therapy. The struggle of finding someone who I can really trust to handle her hearing needs when I had something to do. The struggle of being overly cautious/protective because every child is precious, but a child with a disability is oh so different. This struggle is oh so real!
I have family members in other countries who aren’t quite sure why I put those “little devices” in my daughter’s ear. They think it’s by choice because allá no se usan eso (They don’t use those there). The people here see my daughter and question “Is she deaf?” No, she is not deaf. She just needs more help hearing than we do.
I struggle with people’s thoughts and opinions regarding my child. Why? Because I’m already dealing with so much that I don’t want to school you on how this works! I also know kids will be kids so when a curious little child touches my daughter’s hearing aid and asks “what’s that?” I don’t mind teaching them. When an older child continuously asks my child “Are you deaf? Can you hear me”, that’s when we have a problem…
Did you know that I’ve struggled to keep a regular job too? Struggled because I need flexibility that many jobs can’t provide. The ability to give me time off when I have a hearing related emergency or my child is under the weather and I have to monitor her ears for infection.
Blogging is my Job. Blogging is my income. Blogging is the only job I can handle while struggling with caring for my Hearing Impaired child. But no matter the struggles I’ve faced, am facing, or will face in the future…. I couldn’t have asked for a more incredible child than my Hearing Impaired Preschooler.
My daughter was diagnosed with a hearing disability at 18 months. We were fortunate to have good health care nearby and jobs that allowed us flexibility in our schedules.
I am 38 with a sensorineural hearing loss. My son is the 5th generation to have it. Ours gets much worse over time. I thought all sensorineural losses got worse over time. Maybe I'm wrong. I've struggled through school and work through the years but hard work pays off. A teacher told my mom that I would probably never graduate from high school. Now I'm a special education teacher in a high school and I graduated 3 weeks ago with a master's degree in special education. Your child is going to be successful through hard work and the blessings of God.
I think we all (as humans…and women) always worry about others peoples thoughts…about anything. Why, though? Do what you do – take care of your beautiful girl and dont think twice of anything else. 🙂
I don't have anyone hearing impaired but i am vision impaired. I no longer drive due to my vision and like you blogging is my job because it works for me. BTW your daughter is a cutie.
I love and relate to this post so much! My resume is quite spotty after 12 years parenting a child who is HOH and has other delays. For years we couldn't rely on almost anyone to babysit because even those we trusted couldn't necessarily communicate with her. Lots of challenges… My daughter's SNHL used to be moderate to severe but she would lose 5-10 dB per year until she reached the severe range and came to me asking for CIs. Lots of changes. But when you struggle with your child you appreciate every step forward so much more. My daughter is so precious and so worth it.
My family does not have a hearing impairment, I can't imagine what you are going through. I do have three kids with some degrees of special needs and we're struggling with the little one right now. You're doing an awesome job as a mom.
Bless you and your family. My daughter met a hearing impaired child at a play date the other day and I realized how i've taken my speech/hearing for granted. I have been watching YouTube videos on sign language for my daughter and I to learn.
I can't imagine going through this. We do have a school in or neighborhood for hearing impaired children, in fact, we were considering it so that our son would learn to sign as they take a mix of kids. I hope there are good resources for you! Mitch
My heart goes out to you and what a fabulous mom you are. Our kids are the most important gift anyone could ever have and with issues such as this, can be very difficult. My kids hearing is fine but my nephew has had some serious hearing loss because of infections and fluids in ears that do not want to clear. He is now 9 and having tubes put in many times, still has to go through more. Keep up your good work and I'm sure your daughter is so happy to have you s her mommy.
No hearing impairment beyond old age related, but plenty of vision impaired.It is a different ballgame, but just do what YOU need to do. Kids and adults are curious, try and educate if you can. Others are plain jerks, ignore them. Your daughter isa beauty!
ellen beck
You are a great mother and with all the sacrifices that you're making to ensure that your child gets the care she deserves. Sending hugs your way. She looks like such a sweet young lady. Keep up all the great work, mom.
I have so much respect for you putting your daughters needs first and trying to make a living blogging so you can be there for her! I hate how some older kids have to act so cruelly to people who are different (aren't we all?). I would have a problem with them too!
First, thank you so much for sharing your story! Next, you were blessed with a precious child and even though I have never experienced that struggle, I can relate because of my own issues. Keep fight! Your child will be a blessing to this world!
Wow. What a blessing you are to that little girl. You sound like a great mother. I know it must be difficult but look at how you guys bless each other in so many ways. By the way, your daughter is such a cutie pie.
I don't have a child that is hard of hearing, but I do have a special needs child and I completely understand where you are coming from. I often feel the same way about therapies and babysitters.
I couldn't imagine the heartache that both you and your daughter have to deal with when other kids give her a hard time about her hearing. I personally don't handle things like that well and these days anything can be a target for bullies but I am sure it is even harder to deal with when they see something that they think is an easy target. Your daughter is very lucky to have a mom like you that wants to be there for her when she needs it, there needs to be more moms like that.
Aww, this must be so hard. You are an amazing mom that truly cares about your child. I hope your blogging career can skyrocket so you can care for your child the way she needs it. Great job mom!
I can imagine the struggles that you've had to overcome – parenting, especially toddlers is hard enough even when all the starts align, but conquering issues the non-impaired world doesn't understand just compounds that. Just keep on keeping on – you're doing awesome!
I cannot even begin to imagine the struggle that you face on a regular basis, between caring for your precious daughter and the comments of others. I'm so thankful that we live in an era that working from home is an option. It helps so many people to have a flexible job, while still being able to be there for our kids.
This post really puts things into perspective, especially for those people who succomb easily to stress or THINK that they have it so bad! It's always humbling to hear other people's trials and tribulations. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your story about your little girl. I cant imagine going through what you have been going through. Your little one is beautiful and has been through so much. Your a great mom and keep doing what your doing. Great post and love your pictures!