My husband and I went to the theater a week after cochlear implant surgery. We saw the documentary “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” about Marlee’s career as a deaf actress and advocate for the deaf community. The film, directed by deaf actress Shoshannah Stern, explores Marlee’s rise to fame after winning the Best Actress Oscar … Continue reading
What is the first sound you remember hearing? Auditory memory for hearing babies begins in the womb. They become aware of sounds, such as a loving mom’s voice. From early childhood on, I am amazed at the words, sounds, and conversations I remember. As my family’s car pulled away from the hospital, I remember my … Continue reading
The dark side of being a deaf extrovert is feeling cut off from people. When I can’t hear conversations, I feel isolated – while everyone else mingles seamlessly, hears the nuances in a speaker’s voice, and catches the joke. I nod along, smile like everyone else, and pretend to hear the punchline. I don’t want … Continue reading
A week ago, I had cochlear implant surgery in my left ear. I can’t hear anything in that ear and won’t until the implant is activated later this month. I wear a hearing aid in my other ear, and it only amplifies noises. This means I am deaf. I received a diagnosis of progressive bilateral … Continue reading
Growing up, I found that I didn’t want to miss out on conversations. If I didn’t hear someone, I asked questions. Lots of questions. Some people interpret asking too many questions as being complicated or obtuse. While a lot of people were accommodating, there were times that I heard the phrase that no one who … Continue reading
Hitting the open road is one of my favorite warm weather activities. My family and I have traveled Route 66 twice and frequented highways in the U.S. West, South, and East. We’ve visited places like Oklahoma and Texas more times than I can count to see family and friends. Despite the joys of summer travel, … Continue reading
Not long ago, my family took a trip to Montana and Wyoming. This photo was taken by a loved one when I noticed a waterfall hidden within a Montana park. The natural setting and 1,700 miles of road traveling inspired time to think about goals. Typically, goals would be about work or something with family. … Continue reading
“I was already eager for the hospital stay to end. No more visiting nurses asking me soft-spoken questions that the ringing noise (in my ears) wouldn’t let me hear.” -Chapter One, Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom One year ago, I published Confessions of a Lip Reading Mom. The book shares the six years of … Continue reading
I can’t thank you enough for your concern and prayers with the recent illnesses in my family. With the sickness now at bay, I am able to focus once again on book projects. A Christmas gift to you for being such a loyal reader of my blog is this: Through Dec. 20, get my book … Continue reading
Welcome to this week’s episode of Lipreading Mom’s Real Life. Today, our guests include: a slightly frazzled mom of three… her adorable daughter who is home sick with a fever… her oldest son who is off to school… and her charming five-year-old boy as he waits for the kindergarten bus to arrive. (Hubby is off … Continue reading
