2018 UPDATE: Another post from 2015 that remained unpublished until now!
As I no longer feel so like a patient and have more free time to think with clarity once again, I’ve really spent time reflecting on the past and thinking of the future.
I am more empowered and willing to help myself when I need help. That includes asking others for help in getting my needs met.
My energy has come back with certain levels primed for handling even more facing my true self. Being hard-of-hearing has been such a burden largely because I’ve wanted and hoped it would disappear. But despite the reality being that I will always deal with it, I feel more empowered. I have persevered even when people said I couldn’t. I was told by a well-respected professional when I was very little that I would never learn to speak. Well, I certainly did! I was lucky to have supportive parents that trusted their instincts and didn’t believe this person’s opinion, regardless of her “status.”
A message to myself:
“Accept me for all of me. For who I am truly, not the fantasy hoped for. I am enough and offer far more than you realize. Partial hearing loss is just a tiny part of my being. It can inform and help others who struggle with their own challenges. Thus, it empowers me to be helpful to both myself and others.”
