Time to Give Thanks

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am always thankful for the gift of cochlear implants. This hearing journey is certainly not something we ever expected to endure, and I say "endure" because it has not been easy. However, it has been rewarding in the most awe-inspiring ways. It has taken us places we never dreamed and tested our family and even our marriage a bit at times. But we have come out stronger and happier. Audrena has come so far in the past 15 months, much farther than we expected in some ways.

We are thankful for Advanced Bionics. We are thankful for Boys Town National Research Hospital and every single person who works there. We are thankful for the University of South Dakota Scottish Rite Speech and Hearing Clinic staff, for our top notch Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathologists, and for the enthusiastic students. We are thankful for South Dakota School for the Deaf. We are thankful for a fantastic Physical Therapist. And we are thankful for the many friends we have made along the way, the families that we have connected with, and the mentors we have found.

We can't forget to be thankful for our two older kids, Reyana and Kelton. They have always been loving to their little sister and really watch out for her. They are the best language models for her, and she would not have come so far if it were not for them. I am sure of it. Our family, friends, and coworkers have also been huge supporters throughout the past couple of years.

In the past 15 months, Audrena went from hearing nothing to hearing whispers, hearing at 20 decibels with her implants. She went from saying only mamamamama to putting 3-4 word sentences together. Thanks to her physical therapist, she now walks good, runs, navigates uneven surfaces, and is even beginning to go down steps without constantly holding on to the railing. She did 4 steps the other night while holding a sippy cup and a treat, and with me hovering over her like a Nervous Nelly. Hey, in my defense there was concrete at the bottom!

I was a very shy child, and it has taken me a long time to come out of my shell. I'm not a very outgoing person, and neither is Randy. But this journey has put us in places we never thought we would be. We are finding ourselves filling the role of advocate as Audrena gets ready to transition out of Birth to 3 and into the school system. We have been mentors of sorts for other families, while in turn being mentored by other families further along this journey. Most recently we were asked to be involved in a PSA (which I think will just involve Audrena's picture being part of the announcement) and to be parent advocates for hearing screening legislation that is currently being drafted.

This hearing journey is certainly not something we would have chosen. Given the choice of Audrena with normal hearing, or Audrena with cochlear implants, I think I can safely say we would choose Audrena with normal hearing simply because normal hearing would be just easier for her. However, we love Audrena as she is, and if this is the path God has chosen for her, then maybe her purpose is to make a difference in the world of hearing loss. I have no doubt that she will go far in life. Who knows, maybe she will be a cochlear implant surgeon. Or maybe she will be the first deaf woman president. The moon and the stars are the limit. We are just thankful for great people and great technology to help her along the way.