As many of you know, I lost my hearing at age 44 and am a bilateral cochlear implant recipient. Receiving a cochlear implant gave me back something I took for granted. Even today I continue to hear new sounds. Sometimes it’s a bird chirping and sometimes it’s more complexed like hearing the words and melody to a song.
May is better hearing and speech month. Statistics show approximately 20 percent of Americans, 48 million, report some degree of hearing loss. Raising awareness about hearing loss and possible solutions is something that I hold close to my heart. Hearing loss is not selective, it holds no prejudice and anyone can be affected by it.
Being able to hear is important to me for so many reasons. I was born able to hear and at 44 years of age, I was shocked to learn that I was losing my hearing. I quickly educated myself on what I needed to do to gain back my hearing. From the time that I lost my hearing to the time I received my cochlear implant and onto to present day, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of better hearing and speech. Hearing allows us to more easily socialize, interact and in some ways it also helps to keep us calm. Being able to hear things such as alarms, sirens, and verbal warnings helps to keep us safe.
most it means making the best of a bad situation. Sometimes in life it can be difficult to find the positive things in what may be an unfortunate life event. For some, it’s a feeling of hopelessness or fear of the unknown. For others, it means making changes in your life and seeing the situation for the positiveness that it can bring. The fact is, not everything can be changed. It’s those times you have to make a change in the way you are going to live your life with those so-called “lemons” that have been handed to you. 
Two days before the race, while out running, I tripped and fell on an uneven section of the sidewalk. I knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. I got up and finished running home, albeit, at a much slower pace and in excruciating pain. As it turned out, I fractured my radial head (the end of the radius bone at your elbow). I just recently got the go ahead to type and I can almost fully extend my arm. It’s one of those small things that I’m thankful for. Being able to fully extend my arm will make a lot of what I do daily much easier!
Nina Poersch 