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http://www.journaltimes.com/articles/2006/02/21/health/iq_3898093.txt
For the first 35 years of her life, Kathy Smith heard every word that was spoken to her. A beautician and an avid people person, she enjoyed conversing with her customers and getting to know them. In her spare time, Smith liked listening to country music.
One day, about four years ago, all of that changed when Smith woke up in the middle of the night to find she was deaf. The cause of her hearing loss was a bout of bacterial meningitis - a very serious illness resulting from an infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and that surrounding the brain.
At first, Smith thought she had a bad case of the flu. She left work because she felt ill - a sore neck and general nausea were her first symptoms - and spent the next couple days at home, vomiting and feeling generally crummy. When things didn't get better, she and Robert Smith (then her boyfriend and now her husband), decided she should go to the hospital.
It was there that doctors determined, through a spinal tap test, that Kathy had bacterial meningitis. By that time, the infection had already damaged some of her nerves, including the one that controls hearing.
"I sat up in bed one night in the hospital and realized I couldn't hear," Kathy said. "I didn't know if I was getting delirious, or what was happening. I didn't know what to do."
Down but not defeated Hearing loss is one of the most common side effects of bacterial meningitis because of the proximity of the nerve that controls hearing to the brain, explained Dr. Fernando Rustia, a pediatrician with Aurora Health Care. Once damaged, that nerve is not renewable, Rustia said.
Along with her ability to hear, the meningitis affected Kathy's speech and her balance. Together, those side effects left Kathy unable to continue with her job at the Racine hair salon where she had been employed. They did not, however, disable her spirit, which drove Kathy through a difficult, four-year journey of recovery and rehabilitation that eventually brought her back to where you'll find her these days - behind the beautician's chair with scissors in hand, making customers happy.
Kathy, who opened her own salon at 505 Goold Street last September, wore a big smile recently as she told us that life today, both in and outside the salon, is good - very good. But getting to this point wasn't easy.
Hers is a story of success fueled as much by her own determination as it was by medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation and the supportof those around her. Certainly Kathy was devastated by the news that her hearing loss was permanent, but it wasn't long before she set off on a crusade to find out what she could do to improve her situation.
Armed with her own research (she knew nothing about bacterial meningitis before her diagnosis), Kathy enlisted the help of the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Brookfield, which in turn led her to Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Both of those offices, along with physicians, audiologists and others along the way played essential roles in helping Kathy find new ways to communicate, she said.
In simplest terms, they taught her to lip read, fitted her for a hearing aid for her left ear (in which she had about 10 percent of hearing left); made it possible for her to have surgery for a cochlear implant (an electronic device that is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a device worn outside the ear to restore partial hearing to the deaf); and helped her get the special telephone and computer equipment she needed to be able to communicate with customers outside the salon.
Day by day There were many steps and struggles along the way for Kathy - everything from dealing with the side effects of 12 months of steroid therapy to retraining her brain to make sense of all the sound that the cochlear implant allowed her to hear once more - but they were all worth it to be able to return to the profession she loves and to be able to communicate with her friends and family, Kathy said.
And she could not have done it without people like Patsy Vegter, a rehabilitation counselor for the deaf with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, who worked closely with Kathy for all four years of her rehabilitation.
"Patsy is an angel who specializes in getting people back into the workforce," Kathy said. "She and the DVR were a huge help."
One of the biggest hurdles Vegter and the DVR helped Kathy to clear was that of paying for the cochlear implant surgery and rehabilitation, which costs tens of thousands of dollars. Kathy's health insurance specifically stated that such surgery was not covered. But, because they determined the surgery was necessary for Kathy to return to work, the DVR funded the procedure.
Kathy, in fact, was the first person to receive funding for a cochlear implant from the DVR, according to Vegter. Everything about her case made her a good candidate for the surgery, Vegter said, and Kathy worked hard to prove that the surgery was necessary for her to be able to return to work.
"Kathy's hearing loss caused severe limitations that made her unable to maintain employment," Vegter said. "It cut her off from people and she needed to be able to communicate with people for her job."
The implant surgery was part of an overall plan for getting Kathy back into the workforce and the result was a wonderful example of what the DVR's mission is, Vegter said.
"That's what we are here for, getting people employed - even people with disabilities."
As part of that plan, Kathy attended small business development classes at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and had to develop a business plan that explained how she would return to work.
"Writing a business plan is no easy task," Vegter said. "You have to do a lot of research about everything from zoning to marketing and banking. And we didn't do it for her. We were here to support her, but Kathy did the work herself."
Kathy and Robert also spent months remodeling the storefront space where her salon is now located, and setting up the business. In addition to the usual beauty-salon equipment, they installed a special phone system, called CapTel, that allows Kathy to see the caller's words printed on a small screen as they speak.
"I am thrilled for Kathy and Robert," Vegter said. "They have both been through a lot and to see them now, in this situation, and to know that the DVR has a small part in all that, it makes me feel good about my job."
Confident and kind Watching Kathy make her way around her salon today, there is no evidence of any balance problems and most people would not be aware of her hearing difficulties. With the help of special equipment and her skillful lip reading, the hairdresser communicates well both in person and on the phone. Her confidence in her work, her amazingly positive outlook, her sense of humor, and the support of her husband, also play a role in her success. And her customers share her confidence.
"She's doing great. I send people to her all the time," said Amy Tremmel, who along with her husband John and their children have been customers of Kathy's since before her illness.
Kathy is not only a great hairdresser, who will give you exactly what you want in a haircut, but a thoughtful, caring person, Tremmel said. So thoughtful, that while laying sick her hospital bed, she thought to have Robert call the Tremmels to let them know that she wouldn't be able to keep their appointments that week.
"That's the kind of person she is. And it is amazing how she's turned things around," Tremmel said. "She is truly an inspiration to me."
For the first 35 years of her life, Kathy Smith heard every word that was spoken to her. A beautician and an avid people person, she enjoyed conversing with her customers and getting to know them. In her spare time, Smith liked listening to country music.
One day, about four years ago, all of that changed when Smith woke up in the middle of the night to find she was deaf. The cause of her hearing loss was a bout of bacterial meningitis - a very serious illness resulting from an infection of the fluid in the spinal cord and that surrounding the brain.
At first, Smith thought she had a bad case of the flu. She left work because she felt ill - a sore neck and general nausea were her first symptoms - and spent the next couple days at home, vomiting and feeling generally crummy. When things didn't get better, she and Robert Smith (then her boyfriend and now her husband), decided she should go to the hospital.
It was there that doctors determined, through a spinal tap test, that Kathy had bacterial meningitis. By that time, the infection had already damaged some of her nerves, including the one that controls hearing.
"I sat up in bed one night in the hospital and realized I couldn't hear," Kathy said. "I didn't know if I was getting delirious, or what was happening. I didn't know what to do."
Down but not defeated Hearing loss is one of the most common side effects of bacterial meningitis because of the proximity of the nerve that controls hearing to the brain, explained Dr. Fernando Rustia, a pediatrician with Aurora Health Care. Once damaged, that nerve is not renewable, Rustia said.
Along with her ability to hear, the meningitis affected Kathy's speech and her balance. Together, those side effects left Kathy unable to continue with her job at the Racine hair salon where she had been employed. They did not, however, disable her spirit, which drove Kathy through a difficult, four-year journey of recovery and rehabilitation that eventually brought her back to where you'll find her these days - behind the beautician's chair with scissors in hand, making customers happy.
Kathy, who opened her own salon at 505 Goold Street last September, wore a big smile recently as she told us that life today, both in and outside the salon, is good - very good. But getting to this point wasn't easy.
Hers is a story of success fueled as much by her own determination as it was by medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation and the supportof those around her. Certainly Kathy was devastated by the news that her hearing loss was permanent, but it wasn't long before she set off on a crusade to find out what she could do to improve her situation.
Armed with her own research (she knew nothing about bacterial meningitis before her diagnosis), Kathy enlisted the help of the Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Brookfield, which in turn led her to Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Both of those offices, along with physicians, audiologists and others along the way played essential roles in helping Kathy find new ways to communicate, she said.
In simplest terms, they taught her to lip read, fitted her for a hearing aid for her left ear (in which she had about 10 percent of hearing left); made it possible for her to have surgery for a cochlear implant (an electronic device that is surgically implanted in the inner ear and activated by a device worn outside the ear to restore partial hearing to the deaf); and helped her get the special telephone and computer equipment she needed to be able to communicate with customers outside the salon.
Day by day There were many steps and struggles along the way for Kathy - everything from dealing with the side effects of 12 months of steroid therapy to retraining her brain to make sense of all the sound that the cochlear implant allowed her to hear once more - but they were all worth it to be able to return to the profession she loves and to be able to communicate with her friends and family, Kathy said.
And she could not have done it without people like Patsy Vegter, a rehabilitation counselor for the deaf with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, who worked closely with Kathy for all four years of her rehabilitation.
"Patsy is an angel who specializes in getting people back into the workforce," Kathy said. "She and the DVR were a huge help."
One of the biggest hurdles Vegter and the DVR helped Kathy to clear was that of paying for the cochlear implant surgery and rehabilitation, which costs tens of thousands of dollars. Kathy's health insurance specifically stated that such surgery was not covered. But, because they determined the surgery was necessary for Kathy to return to work, the DVR funded the procedure.
Kathy, in fact, was the first person to receive funding for a cochlear implant from the DVR, according to Vegter. Everything about her case made her a good candidate for the surgery, Vegter said, and Kathy worked hard to prove that the surgery was necessary for her to be able to return to work.
"Kathy's hearing loss caused severe limitations that made her unable to maintain employment," Vegter said. "It cut her off from people and she needed to be able to communicate with people for her job."
The implant surgery was part of an overall plan for getting Kathy back into the workforce and the result was a wonderful example of what the DVR's mission is, Vegter said.
"That's what we are here for, getting people employed - even people with disabilities."
As part of that plan, Kathy attended small business development classes at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and had to develop a business plan that explained how she would return to work.
"Writing a business plan is no easy task," Vegter said. "You have to do a lot of research about everything from zoning to marketing and banking. And we didn't do it for her. We were here to support her, but Kathy did the work herself."
Kathy and Robert also spent months remodeling the storefront space where her salon is now located, and setting up the business. In addition to the usual beauty-salon equipment, they installed a special phone system, called CapTel, that allows Kathy to see the caller's words printed on a small screen as they speak.
"I am thrilled for Kathy and Robert," Vegter said. "They have both been through a lot and to see them now, in this situation, and to know that the DVR has a small part in all that, it makes me feel good about my job."
Confident and kind Watching Kathy make her way around her salon today, there is no evidence of any balance problems and most people would not be aware of her hearing difficulties. With the help of special equipment and her skillful lip reading, the hairdresser communicates well both in person and on the phone. Her confidence in her work, her amazingly positive outlook, her sense of humor, and the support of her husband, also play a role in her success. And her customers share her confidence.
"She's doing great. I send people to her all the time," said Amy Tremmel, who along with her husband John and their children have been customers of Kathy's since before her illness.
Kathy is not only a great hairdresser, who will give you exactly what you want in a haircut, but a thoughtful, caring person, Tremmel said. So thoughtful, that while laying sick her hospital bed, she thought to have Robert call the Tremmels to let them know that she wouldn't be able to keep their appointments that week.
"That's the kind of person she is. And it is amazing how she's turned things around," Tremmel said. "She is truly an inspiration to me."
