My story consists of a beginning and middle so far I don’t see an end, just like any story mine has had its twists and turns, ups and downs. The oldest memory I have is one of which where I was in a hospital, I remember vividly I had a robe with dolphins on it, there was a big bed and a mean doctor. Sad, I think that the earliest memory I have of my childhood is of a hospital room. Now that’s the very, very beginning I think I should skip to the part where I was put to one of the biggest challenges of my life, hearing.

I was in the third grade when I began to fail my yearly hearing screenings at my local elementary school, nobody thought anything of it, maybe I was just being silly, but no this was real. I started to miss some words on my spelling tests mainly because I couldn’t hear what the heck my teacher was asking me to spell, we had meetings with my teacher but nothing seemed to help, why was I all of a sudden such a challenge? Once my parents got interested enough and my school began to recommend a traditional hearing test well, that’s when we began to guess, something was wrong with a seemingly healthy child. While in class one afternoon the office at school called me, there waiting for me was a tall, and blond, woman. She took me into the vice principals office and did some tests but the most vivid memory of that visit was when the woman told me “Miranda you’re pressing the button, I haven’t started the test yet” I guess that proves how many hearing tests I’ve had enough to know exactly what I am listening for. Forgive me if my timeline gets mixed up, these days I wish to not bring these memories up, they remind me of how much I missed. When the test with the blond woman was over I went back to class, at home that night my mom told me that I would be going to my soon to be middle school for a true hearing screening in a sound booth. This frightened me because I guess I had just realized there is something wrong. When my mother and I arrived at the middle school audiologist office I began to worry and think the worst, what if I would lose my hearing?

I sat in a sound booth inside a room my mom on the other side, tears began to run down my face I knew I was just feet from my mom’s arms but I felt like we were in opposite universes. As the test began to run I could feel myself trying as hard as I could to hear but I couldn’t, the tests ended and I broke down in tears I couldn’t help it and to this day anytime I am in one of those sound booths I still get teary eyed knowing even if I try hard, I can’t hear. When I was told by the blond woman that I could go sit with my mom I immediately jumped from my seat in the small little box to be with my mom. The woman came and sat opposite my mother and I she said I had a mild to moderate hearing loss, but I heard “you will never hear the same as anyone you’re different and you can’t hear.” My mom and I retrieved our things and went to the car I was crying my mom close by my side. We sat there for a while without moving my mom let me cry out why me and how I was supposed to be normal. From then on I became stronger but then like anything else my strength would break and I’d just cry. I got my first pair of hearing aids in 5th grade it was amazing, the first time I put them on I heard things I had never even known existed. I learned my hair made a noise as I brushed past my ear, I learned my sheets make noise when I move around in my bed, I also learned the shower is noisy. All my friends were supportive but other people, well they weren’t so nice. I was nervous for middle school I didn’t want to be different but instead I went around and told each of my teachers about my hearing, they were respectful, they wore a microphone, while I wore my speakers and hearing aids. The first few days of middle school I made an amazing friend, Bryan he was so curious to know about my hearing but even better he was nice, he was soon my best friend and to this day we still stay close, he took me in when I felt like no one would.

I continued to see doctor after doctor as if we expected each of them to say something different but no, they all said my hearing hit a plateau and it probably wouldn’t get better or weaken, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was good or bad. Soon my hearing aids became a part of me; I would feel closed and alone without them. Whenever I don’t wear them expect me not to speak I never know how loud I am I still am not very good at whispering. School became important and my mom wanted an IEP for my hearing but here’s the thing I was getting perfect grades and I didn’t qualify for a education plan, would my school work take a nose dive? No because I work hard every day on my school work, I have maintained a 4.0 grade average my entire middle school career. Every now and then I try to count all the hearing tests I have ever had and well let’s just say if I had a dime for every test I’d be rich. Now as my story begins to wrap up I must say how wonderful it feels to know that I have been hearing impaired for 6 years wearing hearing aids for 4 of those years. Yes I know you’re wondering why it would be wonderful to say that well that’s because I made some amazing friends in the process and my strength was proved. I have accepted the fact that I am different but I’d rather be different than ordinary. I am no longer embarrassed to wear my hair up and show off my hearing aids even though many people can’t even see them. My hearing makes life difficult sometimes but life will go on with or without my hearing.