Oceanbreeze

Exactly! It just IS ... I was born partially paralyzed. I have SOME feeling and mobility in my upper legs. I also can bear weight. Growing up, I wore braces and used crutches to get around. Around the age of 10, puberty hit. I gained weight. This made walking more difficult, which made LIFE more difficult. I was, as you have referred to, a case where life was an endless therapy session. For you, it was speech therapy. For me, we're talking physical therapy. I HATED IT!! So, after awhile, I had had enough! I complained to my Mother that I didn't want to "walk anymore". "Mommy, my braces hurt me." "Mommy, my braces are too hot." You get the idea...I was 9, I think...

By the time I was 11, I was absolutely miserable. It took that long to finally convince my parents, my therapists, and the doctors, that I meant business! I was NOT gonna walk anymore! Period! One day, I literally threw my crutches down and REFUSED to use them. My Mother finally got the clue. She started sending me to school without my braces. This pissed off a WHOLE lot of people. But, I was adamant. I have been wheelchair bound ever since, and I absolutely do not miss my braces and crutches. Sure, there was some things I missed at first. I was able to dance. I could go up and down the slide. I could keep up with my sister, but at a cost. I had very few friends. I didn't have a normal recess to speak of, because, it was spent in a therapy session. By giving up my braces and all the therapy, I gained a semblance of normalcy. No, life was far from typical, but it was MORE typical than it had been before. Most importantly, I was HAPPIER. This is all that mattered to me and my parents.

I don't knock speech therapy for the deaf or physical therapy for someone like me, but I do begrudge it when parents and doctors turn a child's life into nothing more than that. A child deserves to be out with their friends having a good time. Not cooped up indoors doing range of motion or learning how to pronounce the S correctly for their entire childhood.

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"There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living."

Deafness

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apathrev

Now please get back on topic?

Athena

OK.

I think that is so aweful the experiences some of you are describing about people telling you to pray your Deafness away. If you enjoy sarcasm, and I do, perhaps you should respond by saying that that is how you became Deaf...by praying to God to make you Deaf so you wouldn't have to listen to them.

Foxrac

I know how fixing the hearing robot.

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In Moto We Trust

Levonian

Next time somebody approaches you and tells you that prayer will cure your deafness, just smile at them real pretty-like and say "and if you click your heels three times, maybe the wizard will give you a brain".

Eve

ahhhh the monkey has a sense of humor :stupid:

Gemtun

For me, I usually say "Why? God has blessed me so much despite my hearing loss. I would rather have God heal other people who are suffering badly such as these with cancer, poverty, or have severe disabilities. I am very happy with who I am and I am grateful to God. Amen!"

That way they will (hopefully) realize that being deaf is not bad. It is patronizing but most of them do not realize what they are doing so I respond back positively so that they will feel embarrased for feeling so sorry for me. They need to know that being deaf is nothing compared to genuine suffering out there in this world!

Eve

God chose to bless me with abundant beauty and brains, there wasn't enough room left for hearing as well. (of course, this isn't necessarily applicable for all of us)

Gemtun

That is what I expected to hear from you, Eve

Gemtun

Ravensteve, are you listening to this? Try clicking your heels 6 times...for restored hearing and more brain cells. It may work! Just dont frown while doing it..you have to smile really prettily and charming. Also, it will help if you have sparkling red pumps like Dorothy's .

downing

who is this guy pix posted above? is that RS??

FeistyChick

i doubt it cuz he is TOO CUTE, looks TOO YOUNG and too sweet to look like him...

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HE IS MY SUNSHINE N MY ROCK!

Right ear- Nucleus Freedom
IMPLANTED: 1/11/07
ACTIVATED: 1/29/07

Liza

That's a precious commodity & talent, Eve.. seeing the light in the dark. Wish more folks could learn from that!

downing

Thought so too...

webexplorer

ravensteve1961 - If you switch to Democracy instead of Republican, you might get your hearings back.

apathrev

Ellie

My moter-in-law does something similar with my son. When we found out that he was deaf she was all about praying for him to get better. I belive in God and praying, but I know that my son is deaf and only with aids or CI will he be able to hear. It kind of made me mad that she did that, even though I'm not deaf I understand somewhat how it feels for someone to "fix" my son.

signer16

I think one thing that these people who say you should "be praying for a miracle of healing" is that, especially if one is born deaf, if that person became hearing at a late age, he/she would have to learn SOOO much!
There are nuances so MANY nuances in spoken language, plus all the environmental sounds, plus the fact that if you could hear people would expect you to be just like a hearing person.
I hate comparing blindness and deafness, but there are many blind people who don't want to see, a huge part of that being because of how much they would have to learn! If anyone has seen "At First Sight" they will know what I mean about how much people who live without a sense have to learn to keep up, and about the expectations "normal" people would have for them.
Going back, it shocks so many people that most deaf people want to be deaf, but... I think gaining hearing after many years of being deaf would be just as dramatic as losing it after being fully hearing.