About

I’m a 43 year old mom to two teenagers. I’ve been married to Dave since 2002, and we’ve been together since 1998.

Dave, the kids and I share our home with one dog, two guinea pigs and five cats. All of our animals have been rescued either from shelters or in the case of 3 of our cats, previously feral.

I grew up hearing impaired, with a sensorineural loss of unknown origin, although it’s apparently progressive. I communicate orally and lip-read well. I do not know sign language although I’m attempting to learn it now.

My hearing loss was discovered when I was around 4 years old, and I wore one hearing aid in my right ear, the “worse” ear. I went to regular schools in mainstream classrooms with no accommodations, other than sitting at the front of the class. My hearing was stable until 1993. For unknown reasons, I lost what was left of the hearing in my right ear, rendering my hearing aid useless. My left ear was not affected and I changed to bi-CROS Beltone hearing aids, which I just loved. They helped bring my hearing pretty much back to what I had been used to, even though I was now profoundly deaf in my right ear, with a moderate-to-severe loss in the left ear.

In April of 2008, I had another episode of sudden hearing loss, this time in my left ear. This has been even more traumatic because I now have a profound loss in both ears, making my hearing aids useless. Having never been raised as deaf, and rarely even acknowledging the fact that I was hearing impaired, it’s left me feeling like I’ve joined a new secret society where I don’t know the language. Learning sign language is something I’ve always been interested in but I think it will be a slow process. Luckily my whole family is also interested in learning right along with me.

My husband and I work together from home, making scented candles (including favors for weddings, showers and parties). Dave is also hearing impaired and wears a hearing aid in his right ear. He is my soul mate — having a spouse who understands firsthand what it’s like to be hearing impaired makes a huge difference. He is unfailingly patient, kind and supportive. I can’t imagine my life without him!

My son is starting college this year.  He’s over a foot taller than me and has a great sense of humor. Never one to follow the crowd, he’s been the child to test limits, assert his own style and personality. He’s also amazingly polite, friendly and intelligent. He’s majoring in Visual Art/Fine Art in college this fall, and I will really miss him around the house!

My daughter is starting high school this fall. She’s an animal-rights supporter, a wonderful writer and an amazingly thoughtful, generous girl. She loves interior design, cooking, making lists and organizing events. She does really well in school and still likes to hang out with her mom from time to time, even though she’s a teenager now. She’s just beginning to try out new personas, at just about the same age her brother did. She’s a little more reserved than he was, though…thank goodness!

I love to read, and I used to quilt (something I will probably get back to someday soon). Dave and I enjoy watching TV together in the evening while we work on candles (cleaning votives, wrapping favors). I like walking and weight training for exercise, although I don’t do it enough these days. We roast our own coffee and Dave has a nice collection of unique coffee makers — especially vacuum pots. He also has quite a few antique sewing machines and used to help me quilt back when we first met!

Finally…I talk too much. When I was a kid, I always thought I’d grow up to be a “writer”. I think I’m making up for lost time!