Thirteen years ago, my memoir Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom hit the bookshelves. It detailed the emotional and mental health impact of having hearing loss while raising my three children, during the first six years after diagnosis. In the latest episode of the Deafinitely Talking podcast, I speak with Dr. Anne McIntosh, president of … Continue reading
In How I Hear: Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom, I recount my journey with progressive hearing loss, diagnosed at age 27 shortly after the birth of my first child. The unexpected news thrusts me into a life of constant adjustment as familiar sounds—doorbells, smoke alarms, and my babies’ cries—begin to fade. While raising three healthy … Continue reading
December 1990. At a mall theater in central Oklahoma, my 13-year-old sister Monica and I sat and watched the movie Home Alone. It was a tough winter. Our older sister was about to be deployed with her Army unit to assist with Operation Desert Storm. Her newborn son was less than a month old and … Continue reading
I hope you all are doing well with the cold winter weather. A lot of us will be impacted in the Midwest United States. Thinking about the snowstorm that we will be receiving makes me think about 15 years ago, when I was sitting in a living room with my then four year old youngest … Continue reading
Let’s erase the stigma of hearing loss. In 2012, I launched a campaign called “Show Me Your Ears”. I have written extensively about my progressive hearing loss on this site. For a few years after the hearing loss diagnosis, I had initial reluctance to wear hearing aids or show them off to anyone, particularly in work … Continue reading
Today was a landmark day with the new cochlear implant. I went to the movies and understood dialogue without captions. Seems unrealistic because I am deaf. Leaving the theater, I asked my husband: “When was the last time you remember me enjoying a movie without captions?” “About 28 years,” he said. We’ve been together 30 … Continue reading
Did you know that the sunflower is the universal symbol for non-apparent disabilities? Deafness can be an unseen disability, unless you have a brightly colored hearing device or use sign language in public spaces. The sunflower symbol was established in 2016 in the UK as the official symbol of non-apparent disabilities and is now embraced … Continue reading
September is D/deaf Awareness Month. It is an annual event to raise awareness about deafness and the Deaf culture. In the United States, Deaf with a capital D represents the Deaf community, including those who use ASL as a primary language. Lowercase deaf represents individuals who cannot hear and may use technology, including hearing aids … Continue reading
The week after CI activation, I plopped a favorite CD into the car player that flashed the song’s name on the screen – a familiar song. When the opening instrumentals began, I was astounded. Instead of drums and guitars, I heard screeching static. When the vocalist sang, I could distinguish it from the opening music. … Continue reading
I recently met my friend, Rebecca, for tea and to talk about our mutual interest in writing. It was the first meet-up with a friend in a public place since the cochlear implant activation. We chose a table with a seat facing a wall. Sound tends to bounce around and echo in noisy tea rooms … Continue reading
Lipreading Mom 