I was randomly going through my blog posts today (one of those days I remember I have a blog!) when I came across this blog and looking at the date posted, I realised it’s been exactly 4 years since my re-implantation.
I can’t believe that much time has passed; it feels like it was only a year ago, 2 at the most, but then again, I really have no sense of time the younger I get – it’s not unusual for me to forget how young I am or get my days mixed up! 4 years down the line, I have absolutely no regrets about updating my CI. The way my hearing has improved over the years since still shocks me. I can hear a lot more than I used to without looking at the face talking. I overhear conversations on the train, in my work kitchen, on the street. And there are some conversations I really wish I could ‘un-hear’!
Telephone conversations are almost easy these days in the right setting; I had a 27 minutes conversation over the phone with my Mummy the other day and no-one was more surprised than I was! I still take advantage of live captioning/communication support for work meetings when I can though as it gives me room to think and make notes.
When mini-me was about to turn 2, I could hear her and all her babblings; most times I understood what she had said even if no one else did. Half the time, I was the interpreter between her and her Dad! I don’t know why I understood what she said sometimes when others didn’t; perhaps it was familiarity and that thing they call ‘mother’s intuition’. Whatever the reason, I am thankful for that stage. And as time passes, her speech is getting clearer, her words are getting more diverse and her vocabulary is expanding! Just the other day, after dismantling one of her arts/crafts projects from the nursery, she realises its broken and promptly shouts out, “Mummy! Oh no, it broken”; then when I reply, she says, “don’t worry mummy, I fix it” and gave me a very assured look. I mean, when did she pick up the phrase ‘don’t worry’!? This hearing journey would be boring without her!
So exactly 1,461 days since my re-implantation, I feel I need to stop what I am doing and take stock. I am thankful for the improvements I have seen in my hearing over the past 4 years, and I do not take it for granted. I am thankful for advances in Science and Technology that made it all possible and most especially, I am thankful to God for gifting humans with the incredible ability to come up with such inventions and innovations!
I once wrote briefly about how I was worried I wouldn’t understand my baby when she starts talking and afraid that I would miss out on having conversations with her. Today, looking into my heart, I can honestly say that’s no longer the case. Yes, I still have those moments where she says something and no matter how many times she repeats herself, I can’t quite grasp what she’s saying and for just a moment, I feel a pang of pain and sadness and worry; worry about what this breakdown in communication may mean for her as she grows older. But as quickly as it comes, it passes too. I remember that she’s still developing, and one day, her speech will become so clear that I would barely miss a word. I remember that 12,205 days ago, I was born and I didn’t know how to say a word either! Yet look at me now.
So no matter where you are in life, remember that no condition is permanent. Don’t allow your present circumstances to dictate your future or determine how you feel.
I don’t know what the future holds for mini-me and I and this hearing journey, but I’m so excited and I can’t wait to spend my days conversing with her and seeing the world through her eyes!
Doose