When a parent of a newly diagnosed baby needed words of comfort on one of my support groups, 11 year old Leah pushed her mother aside and responded to this fragile parent. This is what she said...
Well, I'd like to offer you some words of
assistance and reassurance.
I, myself, am deaf, and I would like to tell
you this; being deaf isn't the end of the world. Your
child will develop a personality of his own over
time,
and you should be proud.
Your child should not regret his profound loss of
hearing, because it makes him special, and it
makes him, him. The operation's aftermath will not
totally change your life. Afterwards, you will probably
have to spend more time doing speech with him at home,
or have a speech therapist at school, but that will be the only difference.
He or she will still go to school,
learn,
go to middle school and High school,
and college,
get married,
etc.
Like any other person,
he will have to go through trials and tribulations to do this, along with
being
deaf.
But
if you teach him to look at the bright
side of being deaf, he will do excellently.
A person with hearing loss
should not attempt to
hide
this, or be embarrassed about it;
if someone asked
your child what he was wearing on his head, he should
answer with pride, `It helps me hear.'
Leah age 11 implanted at age 2 and the second
implant during the summer in July of this year.
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