My diagnosis came at a very early stage of my life-at birth. My parents were told that your baby girl will completely lose her sense of hearing by the age of 2. Today, I thank God that my parents didn’t listen to the doctors back then.
Even though I do have hearing impairment, but it never stopped me. My parents decided to find ways to enhance my hearing capabilities. I learned how to read lips. At school a lot of things used to slip by simply because I couldn’t hear what people were saying at times, but that too didn’t stop me. I used to tell everyone about my hearing issue, so that they can raise their voice. I was never embarrassed or felt different. I got straight A’s in school, I was always praised for my perseverance and I always fought all odds.
I went to college and majored in Mass Communication with a specialization in Journalism. I took ownership of all the projects we had to do. I even got a job while I was still in college. For my graduation project I was the Art Director of the university magazine. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA. My passion for graphic design started then, and I decided to pursue it.
I’m proud to say that I never used my hearing impairment as an excuse to cut me some slack, or as an excuse. It empowered me. I genuinely believe it’s a gift from God that taught me to focus, be able to work under stress and multi-task. I learned to be goal-oriented. I learned to always seek knowledge, never stop asking, read more, and follow my instincts-because most of the time they are right. I even learned to have empathy towards others and to never judge people.
“Sometimes life gives you obstacles. Obstacles that may seem unfair or too extreme. But you are given choices. Break through the obstacles, or let the obstacles break you.”- Anonymous
