“I think that I did it to myself. I played rhythm guitar in a church band. We had our amplifiers sitting right beside us. We wanted to be heard, so they were turned up real loud. All the years of playing in the band, and … Continue readingOpening lines of communication with deaf, hard-of-hearing
“My hearing loss was a gradual thing. Then two years ago, I lost it completely in my left ear. “With about 70% hearing loss in my other ear, I really started to feel isolated. I wouldn’t admit it to myself at first, but I was … Continue readingImplant ‘a miracle’ for music lover
“When I was a kid, some people thought I was very snobbish because I wouldn’t speak. But it was because I didn’t hear them, and I talked like a baby. So I took speech for a long time. The lady who taught me was from … Continue readingShe’s never let hearing loss slow her down
A childhood accident took her hearing. A determined son and daughter helped return it. Using sign language, Yolanda Willey says she was about 5 years old when she fell at home. Her memory of the incident is a bit fuzzy — it happened more than … Continue readingShe gains her freedom from the sounds of silence
“I was premature, a seven-month baby. My mom said that I passed right after birth. My heart stopped, but they brought me back. “I was in an incubator for 10 days. On the eighth day my heart stopped again, and they had to bring me … Continue readingHe was destined to help other people hear better
“When Jazmin was old enough to start talking but she wasn’t, we thought she was delayed. Finally, we took her to get tested and she had some hearing loss. Then it quickly progressed. “From age 2 to 3, she went from a slight hearing loss … Continue readingSevere hearing loss hasn’t stopped her yet