Going to the hospital this week for my spinal injections was a nightmare for someone like me with a profound hearing loss during the COVID crisis. Everywhere I looked, everyone was wearing a mask. This is the worst thing to do since I have absolutely no idea what is being said. I rely on lip reading as much as possible and need to see facial expressions. Fortunately, the staff that I deal with on a regular basis know me very well and were very understanding about my situation. They knew I was...

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Recently, someone commented how much I’ve changed, that I seem to be more grounded. They are right. After an immensely difficult couple of months due to my severe chronic pain and physical illness, I finally emerged as a stronger person. 

Normally, I face a lot of obstacles every day from my profound hearing loss but having being diagnosed with five herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spondylolysis, inactive C6 radiculopathy and Trigeminal Neuralgia, it tested my faith to the ext...

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I recently came across this phrase by Gabrielle Bernstein "We're all in this together" and thought it was the right fit for today. It certainly feels true. In one of her chapters, she was discussing the need for us to let go of the anger and resentment from our past, especially from our childhood. I agree and this is exactly what I'm working on these days, learning to let go of situations that I have no control over. They are life lessons from when I was a child that focus too much on inequal...

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As I took some time to recover from a back injury, I turned to music for solace, particularly George Michael. Since his death on December 25, 2016, I miss him even more. Growing up in the 80’s, he was such an inspiration to me. He had this amazing light and passion that was impossible to resist. His words and music was about living life to the fullest and not giving a damn about what others thought. 

He was an icon of my generation. During that time, there was a shift in the world, a tim...

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The last few months have proven to be an incredible challenge for me on many levels, particularly after the death of my mother. I've been doing a lot of soul searching, trying to figure out where I fit in and how to utilize my skills. I'm continuing to evolve and change as I go through this new journey. 

While my hearing loss has defined me and given me opportunities to adapt and grow as a person. It has also forced me to come out of my comfort zone, especially since I'm quite shy, and to come...
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(Earmold tubes - Etsy, BriteTubes)

After seeing numerous posts on Instagram featuring brightly decorated earmolds and hearing aids, I decided to contact Phonak and ask them where I could possibly get the colourful tubes for my BTE's. They offer a lot of gorgeous shades for their Sky V hearing aids which is for the Teen market that also gives them the freedom to pick a variety of hook and tube colours as well. Even though I do not wear Phonak, I was over the moon about their willingness to allo...
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As a seasoned solo traveller, particularly one with a profound hearing loss, I've learned a few tricks to help cope with the anxiety and stress that comes with it. I've had several near misses at airports where I didn't hear the announcements for gate changes and found myself sprinting to the other side via a confusing maze of busy hallways. I always get a cold sweat whenever I approach the lounge area, wondering if I'm in the right boarding area. 

Over the years, along with frequent trips in...
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To borrow the phrase from Justin Bieber's popular song "What do you mean?", I wanted to know the true meaning of the word "stigma". I reached for the heavy Dictionary and Thesaurus, flipped through the thick pages and found the description: a mark of disgrace or infamy associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person. To go even further, according to the medical description it states: a mental or physical mark that is characteristic of a defect or disease.

So what does that mean ...
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Everyone knows that hearing aids tend to look rather dull, after all, they are medical devices. While some companies provide a variety of colours, particularly for the kids, the majority offer a limited range, namely hair and skin tones. That’s fine for people who want to be discreet about their hearing loss. But what about the rest of us who have been wearing them for more than 20 or 30 years? We get bored, really quickly. Like myself, I discovered that it’s much more pr...

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You would think that turning forty meant gaining more wisdom, and as someone who’s forty-something, I’m wondering where the heck it went. Sure, I have gained a lot more insight, compassion (sort-of), and I’m currently somewhat more business-savvy than I was in my twenties but it doesn’t necessarily make me a smarter person.

In some ways, I’m more of a klutz now, making critical mistakes that cause me to cringe in horror as I think about the future consequences of my actions. Ironica...
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My mother recently read an article and suggested that I take a look at it. She normally doesn't do this unless it was something that had a really strong opinion or featured a topic that would be interesting to me. Truthfully, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect but I suspected that it had something to do with hearing loss. Growing up with a severe to profound hearing impairment has, in many ways, blunted my compassion and viewpoint about other people's experiences. Why? Because they usually...
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Jude Law photographed by singer Bryan Adams for Hear the World.

I recently posted a hearing loss challenge on Facebook by encouraging people to wear ear plugs for a day and one of my friends tried it out.

She said that by doing this, it really opened her eyes about having a disability and gave her a deeper appreciation of what she has now.

Go visit her website and read about her adventure.

http://www.authorerikamszabo.com/youve-made-my-day/it-sucks-to-be-a-deaf-person-in-a-hearing-world

Thank y...
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(Photos by musician Bryan Adams for the Hear the World campaign)

Have you ever wondered what the world sounds like to me? If you're brave enough and up to a nifty challenge, I dare you to wear earplugs for a day or two.

No cheating! You must wear those ear plugs for every situation ALL DAY. No excuses.That means answering the phone, going shopping, driving, talking to your family, playing sports, watching TV or going to the movies. BTW, it helps to let others know that you are doing an experim...
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That's me at the age of five or six with my Aunt! I'm wearing a body aid. Today I wear BTE's (Behind the Ear) Oticon hearing aids which are super strong.

I was born with a severe to profound hearing loss and recently went deaf in one ear. This means that when I wear my hearing aids, most sounds are essentially muffled, anything in the distance or that is soft is virtually invisible to me. Some days I feel like I'm wearing pillows over my ears, that's how quiet it is for me with my hearing ai...
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What's amazing is the response I've been receiving from my book Sway.  It has proven to be a wonderful ice breaker and a great way to learn more about someone.  What has happened is that it has opened a door to being more open and comfortable about ourselves and willing to say something like "Yes! I know what you mean!" or "That happened to me too!".  It's been an astounding revelation for all of us. 

What's interesting is that I often hear the phrase "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronge...
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I recently watched the award winning movie called "The Artist".  As I watched it, I kept getting the impression that it was eerily similar to "Singing in the Rain".  Particularly near the end with the dance sequence between the two main characters where it becomes acutely obvious that it's very much like the tap dance number in "Moses Supposes".  By the way, for those of you who are curious, here's the link to that dance scene > http://youtu.be/tciT9bmCMq8

Throughout the movie I kept gritting ...
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As someone who is severely hard of hearing, I have found that the best form of communication is via email or texting.  It's easy and accessible a part of today's society, everyone does this which is very cool.  Who would've thought that someone like me would be mainstream, become a part of the hip crowd?

Growing up was an isolating experience, particularly since I was the only kid in school with a disability.  At that time, my hearing loss was glaringly obvious.  I wore a body aid which meant...
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If you are already a big fan of my books, Sway and Compass, you are probably asking the question "How?!  How the heck did you survive?!"

To tell you the truth, I'm still asking myself the same question.  Honestly, I really don't know how in the world I didn't lose my mind a long time ago.  If anyone else had been in my shoes, they would've most likely be left quaking in them.  I know it's unbelievably cliche but what you experience in life, especially the good, bad and downright ugly, it can m...
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Can you believe it's already 2012?! Wow, time goes by really quickly!

For those of you following me, I'm currently working on my third novel - a continuation of Jessie's journey.  This came as a complete surprise, I never expected to write past the first book, Sway.  So, to be writing a third one is simply mind blowing!

There are lots of new twists, deeper revelations, and surprising changes in this one.  It's a real page turner.  And it's based on my life as a hard of hearing teenager - meanin...
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