Why I never let my hearing diagnosis stand in my way....

When I was first diagnosed with a hearing loss in both ears I was two. Long story short my parents were advised by the doctors to put me in a special school because I would be a mute for the rest of my life. Let me repeat that. My parents were told to enroll me into a Special School for disabled children because I couldn't talk.

Did that just make you take a sharp intake of breath?

I know right? It makes me emotional every time I write about this but I truly believe that I don't write about this near as much as I should.

I'm thankful for a lot of things in my life...but one of the biggest things I'm grateful for is the day my parents gave that doctor a metaphorical middle finger and decided not to listen nearly 32 years ago. Instead they worked hard every single day to prove that doctor wrong. We dived deep into speech therapy, got me fitted with the technology I needed to hear and proceeded to tell me every. single. day that I can do whatever my heart desired. Was it tough? Absolutely. Did I play the pity card at times? You betcha. Did I wish I was like all the other girls in my class? Yup. Did I keep my hair short so I could hide my hearing aids? Like a pro.

But did I let it stand in my way? No way.

When I was first diagnosed, I could barely speak. I had missed those integral + vital first years of being exposed to sound + speech but that was never an excuse that was allowed in our house. I had 12 years of intensive speech therapy to help me be able to talk fluently + confidently....and lets be honest, I've never shut up since. My parents made sure that I missed out on nothing. Absolutely nothing. I would swim in races, sing in choirs, play the saxophone, go on camp, dance at the socials, go on overseas school trips plus so much more. Nothing stood in my way and my parents made sure of that every single day. I was so adamant that I would be known as just Han. No title. No description. No "Han with the hearing aids". Just Han and it's something that I still fight to be known as today. I'll be 100% honest + transparent here too. Being hearing impaired makes you susceptible to a whole army of certain humans who are....let me put it plainly.....dickheads. The ones who won't repeat what is said when I didn't hear it. Or better yet, that repeat it by YELLING AT ME and making sure I feel completely ridiculous. The teachers who got frustrated at me because I couldn't hear and the ex-boyfriend telling me that I was nothing but a retard (hence why he was the EX!). I've had bosses yell at me during high stress times because I stopped a meeting to ask them clarification on their delegation and the name calling in the playground was next level. Our society is so far removed from #inclusionmatters and we spend our time saying that kids are mean....but adults are mean too.

BUT even though the world can be a really cruel + harsh place....that is no excuse to let any thing stand in the way of dreams + goals.

I could hide behind my diagnosis but I don't. I celebrate it. I could ask for leniency but I don't. I just work harder. I could be crippled by body image but I'm not. My body is perfect.

I could ride the Pity Train but I don't. I live a glorious life.

I could do so many things to let my hearing diagnosis stand in my way but I don't. Even more so now, that I'm a Mum to my absolutely incredible daughter who has exactly the same ears as me (thanks genetics!). She is my reason now to wake up every single day and be the best version I can be in the hope that she is inspired to always be grateful, happy and confident in her own skin irrespective of her diagnosis. The thing she doesn't realise is that she is the one who inspires me with her confidence and her attitude towards everything in life.

Nothing stands in our way.

Especially not our hearing aids. x