| May 1999 |
"Rings On Her Fingers"by Kristina Carosella Throughout our lives, each one of us is faced with numerous challenges and obstacles. How we overcome and learn from those challenges shapes who we become and how much we can grow. As a high school senior, I thought I knew and had everything. I was a cheerleader, dating a football player, had plenty of friends, good grades, and was off to college in the fall. Little did I know that the next four years would completely reshape me, my way of thinking, and my dreams. In kindergarten, I was diagnosed with a mild, progressive hearing loss. Other than always sitting in the front of the classroom and having to turn up the volume on the television, my hearing loss caused minimal discomfort. As the years went by, I unknowingly became an avid lip-reader. By my freshman year in college, it became clear that I would need to break down and purchase double hearing aids. As a self-conscious college freshman who only wanted to fit in, being "different" was exceptionally difficult for me at first. Being "different" caused me to re-evaluate what I felt was important and how I wanted to handle life from then on. As the summer before my sophomore year came to a close, my hearing examinations concluded that I had lost 80% of my hearing. My doctor also informed me that there was no way of knowing how much more hearing I would lose. My mother and I left the office filled with concerns and questions, "How much will my life change?" "Will I be able to hear my children's laughter?" After a weekend of feeling sorry for myself and my situation, I decided to turn my attitude around. I met a friend who informed me that every time my hearing aids whistle, music is playing. He would always recite, "Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, and she will have music wherever she goes". Now, I feel blessed to always have that music. I have turned my life into one of creating a better understanding of disabilities and what people with them go through every day. I treasure each and every sound I hear and carefully store them in my heart. Music is a heavenly gift. Learning to appreciate this world and the music that it creates takes time and understanding. I will be forever grateful for all of the people and places that have brought music to my life. |
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For information about resources for the hearing impaired, contact: 509-328-3772 TDD Eastern Washington Center for the Deaf and Hard
of Hearing |
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