Hey guys, I hope this posting finds you well. It has been quite awhile since I've posted on this blog. I've been super busy with college life, it turns out studying to be an audiologist can be pretty time consuming. Many things have changed but I'm definitely doing well!
I just recently did an interview for a deaf documentary educating people about the benefits of getting a cochlear implant. That always excites me to be able to teach those who don't know about the amazing benefits of cochlear implants, I'm excited about that!
I got asked an interesting question during my interview the other day. The interviewers gave me the questions before, obviously, but I scanned them, not really thinking they were gonna be that tough. I was more concerned about talking to the interviewers. But one question I missed was a question that I have never even heard before, "Do you consider yourself deaf or hearing?" That one was interesting. I wish that I could go back and re-answer it because I feel I didn't answer it as smoothly as I had hoped.
If I could go back, I would say deaf. I'm sure that is shocking a few reading this now. Please continue reading. I was born with a hearing impairment. Many people tell me daily that they forget that I am even deaf, which is a great complement that I love to hear. Every night when I take the implant off I do not hear a sound. That is what makes me deaf. Every time a battery goes dead, I'm deaf again. Every time a coil goes bad, I'm deaf. I'm at the mercy of a machine to keep me hearing. I've never once said that a cochlear implant fixes hearing, I was born with a hearing impairment and I will always have one. But I'm okay with that!
To the natural next question that would arise, "Am I happy with getting the cochlear implant, even if it was so much work and it doesn't fix everything?" Absolutely, I may be at the mercy of an implant to give me hearing, but if it was my heart that was bad instead of my ears, there would be no question of getting a pacemaker put in. I'm the happiest I have ever been with the cochlear implant.
Back to the point that I made that people oftentimes forget that I'm deaf. I think that is one of the greatest complements that I could ever receive. (Offended people please keep reading). It's not because I'm ashamed or embarrassed with my hearing loss, it's because I work VERY hard, every day to be mainstreamed and as normal as possible. It makes me happy that people don't even have to think about how hard I work. It may be the harder route for me to listen and talk when I'm at a severe disadvantage on the listening part of that whole routine, but in order to reach the level of success that I wish to achieve in life, I have to work at it.
Of course I get discouraged every once in awhile, that is what makes me human. But I keep thinking about how lucky I am to even have the remote ability to do what I can do. To even be able to go to school with the type of hearing loss I have is amazing. 50 years ago that would have been impossible. I consider it a blessing everyday and I thank God.
I hope everybody has a great week!
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