writes,
Our three-month-old baby Cooper is profoundly deaf. When I heard that for the first time, when it became real to us, I was terrified.
In retrospect, I think much of that fear stemmed from my lack of knowledge. I didn’t know what that diagnosis meant for the rest of his life. This is where being vocal about hearing loss has made a difference.
Because of this, I’ve come to realize just how important it is to speak about hearing loss and to be a source of education. I know that for myself, this couldn’t be truer. After Cooper’s diagnosis, I was a wreck. I cried and cried and was honestly just angry. Writing was one of the first things I turned to in order to bring myself some peace. Over time I’ve learned that writing and sharing my personal experiences is how I work through them.
As a parent of a deaf child, I have a lot to make sense of, so sharing seemed to be the natural way to go about it. Through sharing these experiences, as well as other things that have happened in my life, I’ve learned there is something freeing about opening myself up and being vulnerable. Doing so has led me to some of the greatest resources — ones I never would have come across had I not taken the time to let my guard down and be honest. Even though it may be scary, I encourage you to let your defences down and try to connect with others, whether through writing, messaging, meeting in person, whatever it may be. You’ll likely find it healing.
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