39 years ago...

I came into this world. My parents didn't know what to expect...they didn't expect me to be born with severe hearing loss---"Hearing Impaired". Now, that word really makes me think someone jammed sharp instruments in their ears, impairing their hearing. I am NOT hearing impaired. I am just ... either deaf or hard of hearing. With my hearing aid, I'm hard of hearing. Without my hearing aid, I'm deaf. I prefer to be labeled DEAF.

I do have the ability to speak. I have the ability to do what any hearing people can do. SOME phone calls I can handle, if I know the person's voice well enough. But most of my business phone calls are done through using relay services via Sorenson Video Phone or using IP relay services from the computer. Both are very convenience for me. But I also do ASL. I'm fluent in both speaking English and signing ASL. :)

I look like a normal person. I act normal. People have asked me where I'm from. I'm easily amused and like to tease them a little but very flattered that the majority of them think I'm British. Aw. My speech must be really good for them to compliment me like that. They, however, are usually very shocked to learn I'm deaf and I'm "speech impaired" as I, Kirstan, like to call it. Hee hee.

Well, I was born as a rubella baby. What that meant was someone whose children having measles visited my mother while she was pregnant (about 3 mos) with me. Well, they carried the measles with them and it affected the unborn fetus (me). When I was born, they thought maybe Kirstan might have problems. So far, I was blonde, blue eyed, all ten fingers and ten toes. Nothing out of the ordinary about me. Until a year later or so, my dad screaming at me if I wanted ice cream and I never heard him. That started my mother's journey to find solutions or help for me.

My journey into the big wide world was a real eye-opener for me. Going into ASDB (Arizona School for the Deaf/Blind in Tucson) at 3, being fitted with those gosh-awful bulking hearing boxes or whachamacallit with wires going into earmolds that were jammed into your ears. Wearing the hearing box on my chest like some frontal backpack...and trying not to get tangled up with the wires...not fun. Going to speech therapy, and learning to sign at the same time.

I learned ENGLISH SIGN LANGUAGE. Looking back, I have to laugh. It's ridiculous and very time consuming. Now I know why ASL is so much easier. I like it much, much better. My first spoken word was purple, and learning to say, I like purple. In a very high pitched little girl voice.

Throughout elementary school years mainstreamed, and constant speech therapies, I remember blowing up at one speech therapist. I can't see where you place your tongue for certain sounds like R, T, whatever sound where your tongue is on roof of your mouth. When learning to speak words that ends with oy or ay, my lower jaw sort of goes into a circular motion instead of going straight down when you say "boy" or "gray". Kind of hard to describe but...took a long time to overcome it.

I don't think I do that weird lower jaw movement when I say words that ends with "ay" or "oy". Maybe only in dramatic moments.

Ah. Right now, I wear those digital in the ear mold type of hearing aid without that part where it sits over your ear...I've moved up!!! :) I was so thrilled to get the earmold type of hearing aid. It really made a huge different. I hear better...but my hearing loss did get worse, as I get older. If I go profoundly deaf, so be it. I'm prepared!

Okay, well, my coworkers treated me to a breakfast sandwich from McD's as a birthday treat. However, when "C" ordered 3 bacon, eggs and cheese bagel sandwiches, they came w/o bacon. Why? "T" doesn't like bacon so...to be nice to "T", we've eaten them plain. But hey, nice treat. I think we will celebrate on Monday when everyone's in the office at the same time. "B" isn't here today and "B"'s birthday is on the 4th. So might as well celebrate together at same time. More food to go around, right? I'm going to enjoy my Pumpkin Spiced Ice Cappucino I treated myself from Tim Horton's. YUM!