The Gift of Hope and Faith 

    Upon arrival home from a faith based summer camp in 2007, I was in the process of enduring a challenge because of my profound hearing loss. Growing up, I was given the opportunity to use the power of total communication with ease. Mainstream and college education has its unique challenges and blessings given to me with hope. When I was called into an appointment with the state career counselor, I expressed my eagerness to search for certain career opportunities and I had something positive that came to mind that allows me to create a vocabulary word known as “ENabLITy” which means the power to eradicate of feeling isolated  because of a disability. It is also meant to let the Light of faith shine upon a living soul with hope. The counselor had an abrupt and rude attitude given to me saying that I could be a mental case. Taken personally, I drifted my soul into a deep depression and and feeling disconnected from reality. A month later, I described the situation to my parents and they felt sorrow with me. We decided to move forward with hope. The very new year of 2010, I went to my family doctor making a firm complaint that my insomnia and tinnitus was so bad that he referred me to a cochlear implant clinic. We made the initial appointment and the medical staff determined I am a candidate for a cochlear implant. They sent me home with a packet of various cochlear implant manufacturers. Indeed, I spent a month perhaps two making a decision to get a cochlear implant. During this time, I thought about my elementary school years when some of my childhood friends were newly implanted since it’s introduction in 1991. When I looked at Cochlear Americas, a light sparked into my heart that this is the brand I choose because of their excellence in their services. That early summer of 2010, I was granted approval to receive the Nucleus 5 system. Surgery, recovery and rehabilitation has its own unique blessings because it helped me turn an obstacle into a opportunity to make life better for me. As a new recipient, I was called with the opportunity to serve as a local volunteer by sharing hope with others because of how my hearing loss increased my confidence and independence by not relying on sign language interpreters all the time. My cochlear implants did allow me to find infinite possibilities to grasp a bridge within two worlds with faith. Today, I am bilateral with the Nucleus 7 system and appreciating the simple gifts of life. 

    College didn’t allow me to graduate in 2007 because the state didn’t provide extra support. With this, I depended on the Lord for His counsel and was called to serve as a sous chef at a Deaf YoungLife camp filled with both deaf/hearing peers. I had so much fun there and growing with Christ. It enabled me to have life independence and attaining job skills at the same time. In 2017, I have gotten an opportunity from Google to attend a 8 month online education program. To me—it was amazing because there was a feeling that God knows my love of computers and I had faith to endure this challenge. It was a lot of fun and interaction. The hardest part was math and figuring out certain codes for computer languages. At the end, I completed a written exam and computer build project. I passed with a B level GPA with faith and confidence. How I got there is by saving income I just made upon working at Shady’s. I’m thankful for the Lord has provided me with ultimate support.