My first experience with hearing loss occurred in kindergarten. When the teacher asked the class to listen to and respond to questions through headphones, all I heard through them was garbled speech. The audiologist later told my parents that I could hear normally, but that I just needed to pay attention. From the age … Continue reading
Filed under Can You Help? …
The ‘Blood, Sweat and Tears’ Reality of Hearing Loss
The Blood David’s eyes were focused on his friend walking beside him on the sidewalk. In order to “hear” the conversation, David looked right at his friend who spoke. The act of lip reading required David’s eyes to do the listening. Neither one of them saw the low-hanging tree limb until after it smacked … Continue reading
When You Call Me a Hurtful Nickname
This week, a child who I don’t know very well called me a hurtful name, ‘Deaf F—–‘ (Rhymes with Maggot).’ Instead of staying upset at him (he later apologized), I wrote “The Power of a Name.” You are welcome to share this with anyone you think it may help. THE POWER OF A NAME Before … Continue reading
When You Get Pulled Over and Can’t Hear: The Pearl Pearson Story
Pearl Pearson is your typical father and grandfather. He loves his family and respects the law enforcement careers his son and son-in-law pursue. Back in January, Pearl was pulled over by a highway patrolman on a traffic violation. When the officer commanded an action, Pearl didn’t respond and the situation turned violent. Police surveillance video … Continue reading
Do You Have a Fear of Failure?
I recently read a story about a woman who was afraid to jump off a cliff as part of a thrill-seeking group activity. The thought of jumping off anything, let alone a cliff, sends terror chills down my spine. You can read the story here. Since childhood, I have had a fear of leaping off … Continue reading
Is A Cure for Hearing Loss Possible? An Interview with the Hearing Health Foundation
When the Hearing Health Foundation approached Lipreading Mom about doing a story about curing hearing loss, I admit I was skeptical. Is a cure really possible? And if it is, would it benefit those who have embraced their deafness? I have many friends who haven’t been able to hear all their lives, and they lead … Continue reading
What I Learned on My 40th Birthday
Happy New Year, friends! The holidays brought lots of celebrating in the Lipreading Mom house, including three birthday parties. One of those parties was mine. Now that I am a young 40 years old, I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with the rest of my life (and what I don’t). Can you … Continue reading
When All You Have Is Your Family…and Exhaustion
On Thanksgiving, I turned 40 years old. The next day, my five-year-old son and I began coughing. We coughed well into the night and the next day. When I couldn’t take it any more, Little Boy and I headed to an urgent care clinic. The “sleep and drink lots of fluids” recommendation didn’t settle with … Continue reading
One Thing I Would Have Changed About School
Even though my hearing loss wasn’t diagnosed until I was 27, I remember having difficulty hearing as a child. In grade school, I struggled to hear lessons via headphones. When an audiologist tested my hearing, he told my parents I had normal hearing but had trouble paying attention. A second opinion was not sought. I … Continue reading
How I Cope with Depression and Hearing Loss
Lipreading Mom has a confession to make: I live with clinical depression. In fact, severe depression can be traced back at least four generations in my family. This is yet one experience I share in my book, Confessions of a Lipreading Mom. One thing I’ve learned about depression and hearing loss: It can be managed. … Continue reading
