Hearing Our Way: Winter 2022

Things We Love Overcoming Obstacles

Fun & Games

Dear Readers,

It’s hard to think of a better word for the holiday season than gratitude

This issue is all about being grateful for the wonderful things in our lives and giving back to those in need. Our covergirl Leah, a cancer survivor with both vision loss and hearing loss, is an inspiring example of positivity, perseverance, and gratitude in the face of big challenges.

In Things We Love, we express gratitude for all of you, our readers, and highlight a special subscriber, Grover, whose generosity has provided over 6000 magazines to students with hearing loss.

Magazine Design • N-KCreative.com

Overcoming Obstacles • Leah

Eva’s Bookshelf • Eva

With special thanks to all of our featured H

www.HearingOurWay.com

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Sophie’s Spotlight ©

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©2022 Sophie’s Tales, LLC. All rights reserved. Hearing Our Way is published quarterly and is a publication of Sophie’s Tales, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. See p.11 for more information about subscriptions for homes, schools, and offices or visit www.HearingOurWay.com. For promotional opportunities, change of address, or other customer service, contact info@hearingourway.com. • All comments and suggestions received by Hearing Our Way become the sole property of Hearing Our Way and may be used without compensation or acknowledgment. Hearing Our Way disclaims liability for any losses or damages that may result from using information in this magazine. • Inquire today about sponsorship and advertising opportunities. Contact Info@HearingOurWay.com.

Don’t miss the feature Daring Devils Duo all about two fifth graders who turned their challenges with hearing loss into something to be grateful for—an amazing friendship. We all have struggles, and it can be easy to get caught up in thinking ‘why me?’ but we also have the opportunity every day to find silver linings, the positives that come from the negatives, the rainbows that come from the storms. If you’re ready to express your gratitude and pay it forward, head to Fun & Games for instructions to host your very own hot cocoa stand fundraiser.

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season and new year. We are so grateful for your support and would not have Hearing Our Way without all of you!

Paticoff Grossman,

Editor in Chief and maltipoo, Sophie

Look for these symbols throughout the magazine for special tips!

Hearing – Info about hearing aids, cochlear implants, and listening devices

Talking – Tips for speech and language Self-Advocacy – Ideas for sharing your hearing loss story with others

Did you receive this issue from a friend, school, or office? Sign up for your own subscription to continue receiving HearingOurWay! www.HearingOurWay.com

M.S.D.E.

Mel

Melanie Paticoff Grossman • Editor in Chief

You Are Inspiring

You can do anything you set your mind to.

books We L ve: Eva’s Bookshelf

Eva is a 14-year-old girl from New Jersey who has always loved reading. She has hearing loss in her left ear, but with the help of her Roger Focus® receiver and wireless system, she never lets hearing loss hold her back! Ready to discover your next favorite book? Eva invites you to explore her bookshelf.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a beautiful but saddening story about two teens, Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, who have been touched by the darkness of cancer. The book wasn’t all sad though; Augustus and Hazel share many fun and memorable moments together. Reading Hazel’s deep thoughts about life and love made me think as well. I enjoyed watching the movie version after reading the book. I would recommend this book to kids ages 13+ if you like reading heartfelt stories.

InspiratioN Stati n

All of our Hearing Our Way subscribers are VIP (Very Important People!), but we wanted to highlight a very special customer of many years, Grover Brillhart, as we celebrate the theme of gratitude this holiday season.

Since 2017, Grover has ordered subscriptions of up to 400 magazines each year… but he doesn’t even receive Hearing Our Way ! He gifts them to his daughter Brenna, a former deaf education teacher and current educational diagnostician who shares the magazines with her students across 12 school districts. Over the years, over 6000 magazines have been given out to her students, all thanks to Grover.

Brenna fell in love with Hearing Our Way while working at a school that provided them for her to use. But when she moved to another school district, they did not have a subscription to the magazine. Brenna told her parents how much of an impact Hearing Our Way had on her students and how much she missed it. Grover and his wife Karen discussed the problem and decided that this resource was so important that they would personally pay for the subscription for the entire school district! Brenna was very thankful for her parents’ generosity and uses Hearing Our Way with all of her students. Sadly, in 2019, Karen passed away. Now each year when Grover renews his subscription to Hearing Our Way for Brenna, he honors his wife’s legacy and their promise to support their daughter and all of her students.

Grover also has a hearing loss story of his own now. A few years ago, he realized he wasn’t hearing as well as he used to, so he made an appointment with an audiologist who fit him with hearing aids. Grover’s hearing aids have made a huge difference in his life by reconnecting him with his friends, family, and business clients. During the holiday season, we celebrate and give thanks to Grover, Karen & Brenna, and all of our wonderful readers who help spread the love by subscribing to Hearing Our Way !

Silver lining

Dear Sophie,

Hi, my name is Gavin, I am a 5th grader from State College, Pennsylvania. I have mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears.

I’m not sure how I lost my hearing. I wonder if it was when I had surgery as a little boy.

I like playing sports like baseball and football. My baseball team and I were the league champions! In my free time, I like to draw, watch YouTube videos, and go swimming in the creek by my house. I also enjoy hunting and fishing with my mom and dad.

Two years ago, I got my hearing aids. They are teal and shimmery. At first I felt scared about getting hearing aids because I didn’t know what people would think of me. But after I got them, I made lots of new friends during the pandemic.

I want to tell other kids with hearing loss: Always be yourself!

From your dear friend, Gavin

Language can be tricky, especially idioms, which are groups of words or expressions that mean something different than what they say.

You might hear the idiom silver lining and think of a silver pen, but no! A silver lining is something positive that comes out of a negative situation. Like this: “Feeling sick and staying overnight in the hospital was a scary experience, but the silver lining was meeting my roommate and making a great new friend.”

H W does Leah hear?

All About Me

Hi, I’m Leah! I’m a freshman at Texas State University from New Braunfels, Texas. I love swimming, crafting, journaling, and baking. I am a genuine, positive, and kind person who loves spending time with friends and family.

Hearing My Way

When I was a baby, I had cancer. As part of my treatment, I was given chemotherapy that can cause many side effects, one of which is hearing loss. The summer before third grade, I went to my annual checkup and was diagnosed with a bilateral sensorineural cookie-bite hearing loss. Ever since, I’ve worn hearing aids in both ears and used an FM system at school.

Overcoming Obstacles

I have struggled with my hearing loss, especially when listening in noise. One particularly noisy place is the school cafeteria. The background noise makes it really hard to participate in conversation, and it is so frustrating to feel like you are missing out. For a long time, I was really upset that I was dealt these cards, and I

felt alone. About 5 years ago, I met an older girl with hearing loss, and talking to her made me feel less alone, like someone else ‘got it.’ As I’ve matured and grown, I’ve realized that hearing loss does not define me, it’s just one part of me.

I am a Survivor

I lost my left eye to retinoblastoma when I was a baby, so I am completely blind on my left side. Having vision loss in addition to hearing loss is a big added challenge, but I am proud to be a cancer survivor and know I am strong.

Sibling Love

As the youngest sibling in my family, I feel very understood and protected by my older brother and sister. They always look out for me and make sure that I understand and am included. It has made our bond very strong.

School Cool

In school, I advocate for myself by using all of my accommodations such as my FM system, captioning, preferential seating, and asking clarifying questions when

with her friends from Deaf Young Life group.

I don’t understand. My teachers have been very supportive and helpful in the classroom. My FM system really helps me hear the teachers more clearly. Sometimes they do forget they’re wearing the microphone… so that can get interesting.

Friend Groups

I have met friends with hearing loss by going to various events over the years. Recently I attended LEAP, a 2-day online event sponsored by AG Bell. I met people my age with hearing loss from all over the country. I also have a friend with hearing loss at school. We attend a Deaf Young Life church group weekly. Having these friends is nice because they know what it’s like navigating the world with hearing loss and share similar struggles. I also love my friends with typical hearing, who know all about my hearing loss and help make sure I am included. I’ve made friends through my church’s youth group, National Honor Society, varsity swim team, and HOSA (a club for students interested in pursuing careers in the medical field).

Inspiration Station

Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who lost her arm after a shark attack, inspires me. Despite her obstacles, she is still so positive and does not let any challenge stop her.

# Goals

I am currently studying to become a Child Life Specialist. Child Life Specialists work in hospitals helping children understand and process what they are experiencing through play. I know that the empathy and understanding I have developed through my life experiences with cancer and hearing loss will help me to help other children.

One Last Word

Hearing loss has really shaped me into the person I am today. I see my hearing aids as a badge of honor, and I love embracing this beautiful part of who I am. Because of my hearing loss, I have learned to be my own biggest advocate, and I’m not afraid to ask for help. I am a more patient person, a great lip reader, and I’ve

met amazing people I would not have met otherwise. My advice is not to let hearing loss define you. You are in charge of your life. Also, be kind to others because you never know what they are going through… and everyone is going through something. Even when you feel like why me?, have gratitude for what you do have—I like to say I’m half-deaf and half-blind but fully

Leah’s hearing aid sparkles, just like her!

Leah and her family enjoy a favorite holiday tradition, a holiday light stroll.

Aria’s Story

A Journey of Health, Hearing, and Holiday Spirit

Top: Aria’s team celebrates her cochlear implant activation day.

Middle: Aria with her audiology team while undergoing cancer treatment.

Bottom: Aria is now a proud cochlear implant user.

Even though I have hearing loss and have been in cancer treatment for quite some time, I really am just like every other 10-year-old you know! I’m originally from Atlanta, Georgia, but ‘officially’ became a New Yorker in 2018 when we moved to begin treatment. I’m now in the 4th grade in New York City, and my favorite things to do are drawing, playing Roblox, and reading graphic novels. I have a 13-year-old sister named Gabriella, and together we share a cat named Cookies and Cream (CC for short) and a dog named Chicky.

It’s hard to exactly remember the day I learned that I was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, but I remember no longer feeling like myself. Life as I knew it (as a 5-year-old that is) felt scary especially when I learned that I had to pack up all my things and head to the Big Apple for treatment. I felt so many different emotions. One minute I’d be happy looking outside at the new city I was living in and the next, I’d find myself feeling really scared. My family and doctors helped me learn to never let fear get in the way of fighting. I knew I had to keep fighting even if it felt really scary.

I began to slowly lose my hearing from treatment. That’s when I found my team at Weill Cornell, Dr. Kraskin and ‘Sammie Jammie,’ who helped me start hearing like I used to. After many months of research and teamwork, my wish of hearing came true, and my cochlear implant was activated on November 9, 2021, just in time for the holidays. Ever since then, I am a proud hearing aid and cochlear implant user.

I’m super excited to share that my scans are all clear. At the moment, I am no longer in active treatment. I’ll continue to be monitored, but for now, I’m just so excited to do all the things I’ve been waiting to do—like gymnastics and bucket drumming. During the holiday season and one-year anniversary of my cochlear implant, I want to express gratitude. Even on the hardest days in the hospital, I felt lucky because I had my family by my side. I also am grateful to so many awesome people who helped me fight my fight, which is why I want to become a doctor when I grow up and pay it forward to help other kids.

While all of our patients are so special to us, Aria exudes magic. She received a cochlear implant after losing her hearing from chemotherapy and inspires our entire team with her resiliency and larger-than-life personality. Despite her challenging health journey, she always has a smile on her face. We are huge Hearing Our Way fans with a waiting room full of copies filled with inspiring stories, and now Aria’s will be one of them!

—Sammie Levy, Weill Cornell Audiology

daring devils duo

Abby And

who cAll themselves the dAring devils duo—two brAve And feisty girls with heAring Aids tAking on the world!

JuliA Are 10-yeAr-olds from long islAnd, new york,

Hi, it’s Abby A nd Juli A H ere!

We both have hearing loss and are in the same grade at the same school. We love sports like soccer, basketball, softball, and swimming. This is how we became daring kids who face hearing loss head on, and you can, too.

M A ke Friends

Having another friend with hearing loss is very special. You can talk to each other and relate to similar challenges. You can compare hearing aids and different colored ear molds. We even help younger kids with hearing loss together. We are always there to support each other.

Find s upport

Mrs. Eskridge, our TODHH,* is cool and fun to work with. We each have individual goals to work on with her, but we also like to learn together. She helps us both problem solve and learn self-advocacy skills. We talk about where our FM/DM systems and hearing aid batteries should be and how to advocate for ourselves in and out of school.

b e b r A ve

Being daring means taking on and embracing new challenges. We think it’s pretty daring to write an article about ourselves for Hearing Our Way. Being vulnerable, like sharing our hearing loss stories, is being brave.

s ee t H e World

Travel opens our eyes to new places and makes us more daring. We have been to interesting places like Alaska, Aruba, New York City, and more. We also learn about new places even when we’re at home, through books and videos.

b e u nique

Even though we love spending time together, we also have our own interests as well. Abby does band and chorus at school and did a magic act in the school talent show. Julia loves traveling with her family, including her sister, dad, and grandma who all have hearing loss like her.

s uper Advoc A tes

We never let hearing loss stop us from doing anything we want to do. We don’t hide or act ashamed of our hearing aids; we embrace them and use them as a form of selfexpression. We advocate for ourselves in the classroom when we need something. When someone asks us about our hearing loss, we tell the truth and raise awareness.

dA re to be d i FF erent

Remember that everyone has something different about them. Some might stand out more than others, but we all have a difference. We have taken our difference, hearing loss, and made it our superpower and bond.

HoW cAn you dAre to be different?

* TODHH: Teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

1.

What you will need:

A table

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3.

4.

5.

6.

We all love our birthdays, but kids with hearing loss some times have a bonus celebration – their hearing birthdays –the anniversary of the day they got their hearing devices.

Mike, 14, celebrates his 12th hearing birthday on January 31st. Mike says, “I didn’t know about hearing birthdays until reading Hearing Our Way. I want to share my appreciation and gratitude for 12 years of my cochlear implant enabling me to hear so many sounds and people!”

Mike loves listening to music, playing soccer and hockey, and participating in Boy Scouts. He recently upgraded to the Cochlear N7 and is excited to stream music to both his implant and his ReSound Enzo hearing aid simultaneously. Happy hearing birthday, Mike!

We want to see photos of your hearing birthday celebration. Email us at info@hearingourway.com and you may be featured in a Hearing Our Way birthday shoutout.

Azalea

loves reading Hearing Our Way and you will, too.

An annual subscription to Hearing Our Way is the perfect gift for any student, teacher, or audiologist. Single and group packages are available for households, schools, hospitals, and doctors offices.

Hearing Our Way is available worldwide.

Subscribe NOW: hearingOurWay.com

Bring Sophie Home for the Holidays

The Award Winning Series about Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implants

The perfect gift for holidays, birthdays, cochlear implant surgery, friends, students, and younger siblings!

order now: SophiesTales.com For free shipping, use code: hearingourway

Sophie loves shining a spotlight on amazing kids with hearing loss around the world. To shine a spotlight on someone you know, write to us at info@hearingourway.com.

Sammy is a spunky 8-year-old girl with bilateral hearing aids from Colorado who has been skiing since she was three! She lives in a unique place, Telluride, CO, a mountain tourist town that people visit all winter long to ski. Sammy is on a team called the Telluride Ski Girls and skis almost every day from November through March.

Wearing ski masks and helmets, going really fast in windy condi tions, riding the ski lift, and listening for high-pitched whistle blows can make skiing a challenging sport for someone with hearing loss, but Sammy never lets her hearing loss hold her back. Sammy’s mom says, “Sometimes Sammy gets frustrated having to wear hearing aids with her bulky helmet, but she understands the importance of hearing well on the mountain. Sammy is a rock star on the slopes and an amazing little girl. Hearing loss doesn’t stop her and nothing can!”

Sometimes Sammy wins, and sometimes she loses, but she always loves participating in ski competi tions and riding the mountains of her hometown. She already skis double black diamond slopes and wants to be a ski coach when she grows u. Sammy wants other kids to know that it’s okay to be different and encourages everyone to follow their dreams!