Born with a severe hearing loss, but not diagnosed until I was four when I received my first hearing aid, I worked hard to learn to hear, lipread and speak. Here I am at age 4, trying to make out songs on my little record player. Even with a hearing aid, as I couldn’t lipread what was sung on the LPs, I couldn’t understand any of the words. My mother told me that the song I liked the best was “Oh my Darling Clementine.”

Learn more about growing up with a severe hearing loss in my memoir coming out in May 2024. Join my waitlist and receive updates.