I am a mother of three boys, one of which is deaf plus. When my second child, Ollie was born with many complications, hearing loss was the last thing on our mind. We had his hearing checked again at 6 months and found that he was severely-profoundly deaf.
At this time, I avidly searched for parents that could help me navigate this new life. Thankfully I found a friend of a friend of a friend who had raised a Deaf child 30 years ago. She was so helpful even though her experience was quite outdated for the needs that I had. She filled a need for connection and understanding. She knew my fears and the struggles I would face in raising Ollie.
This is why I’m so thankful to be a part of an organization that supports families without bias! We need each other in our strengths, weaknesses, similarities, and differences.
Ollie has special needs beyond his hearing loss and he continues to amaze us as he grows. He currently expresses himself in American Sign Language (ASL) and can hear very well with his cochlear implants. Our family works hard to learn ASL so that he can continue to imitate our language model. We are thankful for language- all modes!
I currently am the GBYS Coordinator and Lane Co. Parent Guide. When I’m not doing that, I’m home with the boys. I really enjoy being with friends over a glass of wine, hiking, blogging and learning. I do NOT enjoy cleaning and organizing.
