Whilst reading Big Teeth & Cloud's blog post today, Reflecting on Months before Magic Ears it reminded me what a huge impact hearing aids have had on my life.
It also prompted me to proudly state as a comment on her blog that if I was to be given the choice to be given my hearing back - I wouldn't accept it.
Big call isn't it?
After years and years and years of accepting my hearing impairment, my hearing aids and the stigma that goes with it....I am now proud to be Deaf. I am proud to wear my hearing aids. I am proud to tell people 'Hey - my Mama fought for me when I was young and now it's my job to make her proud'.
Recently, my sister and I were speaking about the option to have a Cochlear Ear Implant. She was telling me about a recent appointment she had with an ENT which resulted into some harsh words being exchanged between both the doctor and herself. You are wondering why? It is because the ENT was trying to advise her to have the CI implant....and my sister became offended. What is wrong with hearing aids? What does the CI Implant do that the hearing aids dont? Can you guarantee 100% that the operation will be a 100% success....and the answer was NO. ** This is to be no offense to CI Implant patients. Personal opinions and feelings ONLY **
Obviously, the ENT was only doing his job. He was looking at a case from a medical perspective - and realising that he could perhaps implant the CI and give my sister a life without hearing aids. My sister didn't appreciate his perspective AT ALL!
Then when we were attending an appointment with Macie's audiologist we were then advised that perhaps my sister and I would eventually need CI Implants. Once again, we advised him that this would not be necessary and we would not be interested in this. My Mama was so offended that they even suggested it - as she has spent many many years teaching us to love ourselves with our hearing aids.
Hearing aids have become such an important part of our lifes. They have shaped us to be the proud, strong and opinionated women that we are today. They have taught us that nothing will stand in our way and if it is worth it - we should fight for what we believe in. They have taught us that there are some VERY narrow-minded people in the world who judge a book from it's cover.....but that has only made us more determined to widen their horizons and appreciate our loved ones who accept us for WHO WE ARE.
So - when asked the question - Would we give up our hearing aids? The answer is a strong, firm and decisive N-O.....NO.
This is me - love me for it.
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You're right that Julia is quite attached to her hearing aids. I've had someone comment that I shouldn't fear her hearing getting worse because she can always get a cochlear implant. As if you just pop one of those in like a stick of gum and go on about your day! I think it would be a very serious decision and it's not something we would necessarily do without a lot of careful thought.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do dream that some day they'll have a surgery to restore her hearing without the use of any device. Regrow the nerves or something - who knows. Kind of like how I had LASIK for my nearsightedness.
It is great for me to read your perspective having grown up with hearing aids. It reaffirms that the sky is the limit for my daughter!
don't give them up!
ReplyDeleteif you get them, you guys would get electrical impulses in your head and massive headaches
beside what happpened to the quote "the better you get, the more you gain?"
FYI, I also wear 2 hearing aids AND my name's also Emma!
have you 2 condsider youself gettting the powerful BTE hearing aids? they would help