It’s for someone I know who’s almost totally deaf in both the ears without a hearing aid. With an aid, she communicates excellent; I feel bad for her because despite her intelligence and talents, her very shortcoming has led her to other paths (career-wise) that really is below her capabilities. She’s faced rejection from employers and I have seen her resigned from everything. It’s not like she has to be spoken/talked to in a sign language.
Okay, I always blabber too much. I was just wondering if there are any saints for people like her? I tried to “research” but the answers are vague. Could her hearing be restored (I believe in God’s miracles)? She wasn’t born deaf, and I thought , if modern medicine cannot do it, surely God can (or the intercession of saints).
Although I grew up knowing that I once could hear crickets, and that others would comment about hearing birds, I thought my hearing was fine, except for very high frequencies. Lol! My mother’s hearing was extremely acute, so we three siblings grew up convinced that she could almost hear us think!
I learned, at 31, that I was hearing impaired. Before the test, since I could hear good enunciation, I thought that my problem was more due to mumblers than any hearing loss. I guessed that I’d score around 85%, and was shocked to find scores of 42% in one ear and 48% in the other.
Upon delving into the world forced by hearing loss, my family and I learned about compensation—ways the hearing impaired automatically learn to help their ability to understand—and realized that I had begun compensating at least by first grade. I could hear crickets at age three, but couldn’t by age six, so we think that “old-fashioned German measles” (don’t know today’s terminology) are responsible.
My loss continued to deteriorate, affecting employment and relationships with others—sadly, even with family members. Very few people are able to hide their irritation at being asked to speak more slowly in order to accommodate the hearing impaired. This current mask situation is a nightmare because we hearing impaired depend upon lip-reading to augment what we can grasp verbally and are deliberately left out of communication now.
Ask your friend to ask Voc-Rehab about cochlear implants. I have no idea if that is an option through Voc-Rehab, but her counselor might know of some applicable state or federal program that would cover the cost. I now have both cochlear implants and a whole new sound world to discover—some days seem like Christmas morning with the joy that the implants have brought! Please do help her check it out! Prayers for both of you!
