American Gladiator, Brick Reilly, has a Cochlear Implant

We (well my husband) was watching American Gladiators tonight and we saw one of the contenders with a CI. check it out at http://www.americangladiatorsblog.com/contenders/season-2-contenders

JTC Graduation

John Tracy had a Farewell Ceremony for all of the children that would be leaving and going on to other programs. We had a fun time and were grateful for our wonderful friends who came to support Logan. It was slightly emotional as I felt like we weren't done yet with all we needed to accomplish here at the John Tracy Clinic. Two parents spoke on their feelings when they first came to JTC. Jake and I tried to hold back the tears as we could completely relate. The feelings of helplessness, fear and hopelessness I think encompass all parents when they first find out of their children's hearing loss. JTC has made the feelings turn into hope and courage. We will forever be grateful for all they have done for Logan and for our family.

Thank you, we love you!

Any advice?

So Logan has been having some problems with the Implant all of the sudden just shutting off, without even a warning. We first thought it might be the rechargeable batteries, so we tried the disposable ones, that wasn't problem. We then received an entirely new implant and that wasn't the problem either. I have tried talking to other moms at school or doing Internet research to see what could be causing the problem, but no information there either. So...has any of you other CI moms ever had this happen before? I'm afraid if the external part has been replaced and the problem still exists, then it may be internally!! Thanks for your help!

We are so proud.

So Logan's last day of school is this week and they do an end of the year assessment for him to take to his new school in Florida. To help with that, we sat down and compiled a list of all his language skills, receptively (what he understands) and expressively (what he can say). We were amazed at the list and wanted to show it off. We are so proud!

He is 5 months hearing and has

83 receptive words

25 expressive words (some spontaneous, some mimicked)

(click to enlarge)

School Field Trip!

Logan's preschool went to the Aquarium for a field trip last week. The kids had a great time and it was a great language activity. Logan is still talking about it!

Josh Swiller comes to JTC

My husband and I were privileged to be in attendance when author Josh Swiller came and spoke to our parent class at John Tracy last Tuesday.

(taken from www.jtc.org) :
"When my parents found out I was deaf," author Josh Swiller told JTC parents at their Tuesday night class, "my mother said she knew it all along, even though the doctors said things like, 'He's just a little slow,' and 'He's at that age when he doesn't want to listen to you.' My father, on the other hand, felt like it was his fault and it took him a long time to get over it."
Josh, who visited JTC last fall on a whirlwind tour to promote his book, The Unheard, was invited back as guest speaker for parent class. The parents were riveted by his intensely personal and frequently hilarious account of growing up in both the deaf and hearing cultures.
"It's important to laugh about your situation sometimes," said Josh. "We're here to work with what we have. Deafness is going to create frustration, but it can also create wonderful things. In fact, it's a kind of blessing because it focuses your life and enables you to experience true silence, if you choose. And when it comes to college, it's a goldmine for scholarships."
Born to hearing parents, Josh had progressive deafness and was not diagnosed until he was four years old. He now wears a cochlear implant, which, he says, has greatly improved his speech. "I learned spoken language with my eyes," he recalled, "mostly through reading and regular speech therapy." He is also an expert lip reader and is fluent in American Sign Language.
Asked what further advice he had for the parents, he said: "Deaf children aren't made of glass, so don't tip toe around them, don't baby them. Having a house full of brothers, I didn't get treated like a poor little thing. They slugged me in the arm just like anyone else, harder in fact. I didn't get a pass on anything."
The Unheard is both the story of Josh's childhood and of his two, extraordinary years as the first deaf Peace Corps volunteer in Zambia.


What a wonderful example he is. I jotted down a few of my favorite things from that night, in the back of our copy of the book, for Logan to reflect on when he is older.

-Don't ever "fake it". You don't have to hide your deafness
-Humor makes your deafness less fearful
-It's OK to have struggles, it makes us strong
-Educate others about your deafness
-In school, the education part will not be the difficult part, it will be the social part.

Tips for parents:
-Be sure to "check-in" with your child often, don't let them pretend to be getting it all.
-Teaching them to be good readers is very important
-Educate others about your child's deafness, especially in the early ears
-Make sure your child feels open enough to feel comfortable to talk to you about his deafness
-Josh Filler said, "With hearing aids I would struggle to get all the sounds--with a CI I get all the sounds, I'm just trying to make sense of it all."
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