By Kasey Cain, B.S.
I never imagined that someone else’s hearing loss would completely change my life. This happened with my first-born son. Everyone says that becoming a mother changes your life, but if you add hearing loss on top of that, the life we imagined for our family and our child flips upside down.
My son failed the newborn hearing screening in the hospital. We were told it was probably just fluid in his ears. An auditory brainstem response test two months later confirmed that he had bilateral mild to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss. Devastated, I went through all the possibilities that could have led to his disability. Was it something I ate, something I did, or even something I said when I was pregnant? I went through the grief cycle several times over. I couldn’t talk about my son’s hearing loss with anyone other than my husband, and even that was hard. I was stuck in a state of denial. I would try desperately to prove that his disability wasn’t real – I would make loud noises in attempt to elicit responses from him. Nothing. He even slept through my cries.
A social worker from the county called to set up services for our child. I remember thinking, “who told you our son has a hearing loss? I haven’t even told my own mother yet!”. Reluctantly, I let them into my home. I realized they were only there to help. What had originally seemed like an arduous journey my family would have to navigate alone, quickly became a supportive community I never knew existed. They introduced us to other families in our area and guided us for the first three years of my son’s life. I started to feel better, but still had a hard time talking about it with anyone other than those who understood what we were going through.
I was in media sales when my son was born, selling advertising placements to local and national businesses. My job was flexible, lucrative, and came with several perks. I loved it and I was proud to be in the industry. After my son was born, however, I started to lose passion for the job. I simply did not have the bandwidth to do it all. There were weekly early intervention groups, a Deaf mentor, speech therapy, and audiology appointments all on top of working a full-time job! Moreover, my job never stopped after I left the office. After 15 years in this high-pressure industry, I called it quits. It was time for a career change. I then set out to become an audiologist.
I am now a 2nd-year audiology student at California State University, Sacramento. I have also become an ASTra Educational Parent Advocate through California Hands & Voices. I plan to work in pediatrics and educational audiology to help children and support other parents through their child’s unique journey.
My son’s hearing loss has not only been life-changing, but it has also been an absolute privilege to ride beside him in this journey. I have found my new passion.
