So I don't forget....

I'm currently doing some research about Conductive Hearing Loss for an assignment and also heard something about our neighbours son today that has reminded me of something that I wanted to record so I didn't forget....

When Sarah was a few months old I started to notice that she wasn't reacting to the noise that Matthew and Emily would make when playing, fighting etc. Often she would be asleep in the lounge room and one or both of them would come into the lounge room laughing and yelling and making a lot of noise and she'd sleep through it, without stirring at all. OK so she is a deep sleeper I thought. But then I started to notice that when she was awake and they came running in she wouldn't react either. So I started "testing" her. I mentioned it to Mum too and she started "testing" her with me. We'd stand behind her and call her name, clap our hands, make noise etc to see how she reacted. Sometimes she'd hear, other times she wouldn't.

Her hearing test from birth had come back normal but still I was starting to get a little worried. Then one day, she was asleep in the lounge room and the front door slammed shut. It scared her and she woke screaming. Still I wasn't completely comforted as I have a friend whose mother is quite deaf and can hear certain sounds, slamming doors being one of them. But then someone came to the front door and when this stranger spoke, Sarah woke and reacted and had obviously heard them.

Suddently it dawned on me. Her hearing was fine!!! What she wasn't hearing was always Matthew and Emily and their noise. She had obviously trained herself to block out their noises. I mean let's face it if she hadn't she would never have slept would she?!?! :D

I can't tell you though the panic I felt. I did think "what if she is deaf? What will life be like for her if she can't hear" I worried about it .. a LOT! I prayed that her hearing was OK and thankfully it was/is.

Then today, Steve was next door talking with our neighbours and learnt that their 40-something year old son started losing his hearing at 8 years of age and was deaf from 12 years of age. About a year ago he had a cochlear implant and for the first time was able to speak to his parents on the telephone. How amazing is that!!! Ken was telling Steve that the first time he phoned and spoke to his mum on the phone, she broke down in tears. Technology truly is amazing!!!

On a really sad note though, I heard some bad news today about a friend of mine from high school, one that I have only recently got back in contact with (thanks to Facebook!) anyway, this friend has recently found out that she more than likely has Cancer (apparently 99% sure). The prognosis is not the best apparently as it is in her pancreas and surrounding area. She is going into hospital on Wednesday for surgery.

Please talk to the big man upstairs and ask him to help her out. She's only 32 for goodness sake. She has a LOT to live for and a LOT left to do. This girl made me laugh every single day in Grade 12, (geez we had some laughs) She and her boyfriend and family doesn't deserve this kind of news. Well no-one does but...well you know what I mean. So pray, pray, pray that technology IS amazing and that in a year from now she'll be looking back on this as simply a distant bad dream!

And on that note......
try to keep smiling :)
Trish