Category: Let's talk
This is actually interesting and sad at the same time. This morning, I heard something on television with MOm. There's this woman named Jessica who is 23-years-old. She has a very rare disease that caused her to have a bunch of tumors and at least 20 opperations throughout her lifetime. She lost the hearing in one ear and the doctors told her that if she didn't have this next one, she would have a stroke and die. The thing is that it would take away all of her hearing. So for the next month, she soaked up and recorded all the sounds of her life, in the hopes that one day, she could hear them again. She went through with the opperation and is now completely deaf. She says she's doing fine and of course, she and her family are all adjusting, learning sign language etc. She loved this one singer and got to see and meet him in concert before it all happened. It touched me when the reporter described it as the last one she'd ever hear. She was listening to her favourite song as they wheeled her into the opperating room. So many things that we all take for granted. By the end of it, I was crying. I have two very dear friends, Vassilis and Roxy, who are losing their hearing, but it's very gradual. they both have time to adjust, and though it isn't easy by any means I'm sure, it's different, especially because of the fact that they have very little vision, the former will lose his entirely one day and the latter's, thankfully, is stable.
So here's a very serious question for all of you. What would you do if you were told you'd lose your hearing in 30 days? What sounds would you treasure the most? What would you seek out to hear one last time? and if you had another terrible choice, which would you prefer to lose, hearing or sight? I know most of us on here are either blind or partially sighted, so to those, like me, who are totals and who never saw, this might not make too much sense. Anyway, if you were jessica, would you go through with the opperation?
For me, it would be the voices of the people I love, especially spiros, the sounds of water and of nature, birds, dogs, cats etc. And of course, rebetika, lots and lots of it. Good taximia to just listen to, not even words, just the sounds of the bouzouki washing over me. And the voice of Markos Vamvakaris especially. I'd call his son Stelios for one last time and ask for one request, to hear some tapes of his father being interviewed, those that haven't been released. I'd try to speak and learn as much Greek as I could, since I think it's the most beautiful language in the world and I'd do one zebekiko, (a kind of dance) for once in my life, and not give a shit what people thought of it. And when all is said and done, I'm not sure I could go through with it at all. I'm weak, I admit it. But if I had to, I would, so long as I could be around the people I love. But I think I'd have to do at least one ritual with my fellow Hellenic Polytheists. I've never worshipped in a group and think that would bring me the most peace, to hear the names of The gods on other people's lips and to be joined in that way to them and my fellow human beings.
I don't know what I would do, but I suppose I'd probably just continue with my life, and prepare as much as I could for life without my hearing.
The sounds I'd treasure are the things I have enjoyed hearing but could never hear again, such as what I consider to be great sporting moments and good songs.
Hi Tiff. Actually Jessica Stone is a member of my world. we both suffer from neurofibromatosis type 2 NF2. She's getting the disease out there and hopefully we can get some awareness since no one has a clue about it to get funding to maybe one day find a cure and stop these bloody tumors. NF2 took my vision from me. It's on it's way to taking my hearing from me now. My balance is pretty much gone too. I'm jsut wondering what else NF2 is going to steel from me and when. A lot of people with nf2 have facial paralisys so someday I might even lose my smile.
I am losing my hearing now, the tumor is quite large it's risky to leave it there some doctors have told me, but I am leaving it as long as I can still hear. When it becomes too life threatening then it'll have to be removed and there goes my heawring, all of it.
I want to hear my baby boy and husband and mom and dad as much as possible. The rest isn't important to me, not as much as theset hings.
God, as a totally blind person, the thought of losing my hearing is absolutely terrifying. I know there are many out there who are both blind and deaf, and they adjust and live their lives, so I imagine I would, in time.
Anyway, the sounds i'd miss most are things like: the laughter of the people I love most, music, particularly pianos, a cat purring, thunder... There's probably a whole host of things I could list here, but those are a few.
the things i'd miss most are the sounds of nature, owls hooting, birds singing, rivvers flowing. I can't imagine what life without my hearing would be like, but I think i'd rather lose my sight than my hearing. I don't know why, but I just feel i'd be far more cut off from the world if I couldn't hear, rather than couldn't see. I'd feel in a lot more danger for one thing.
Most importantly though, i'd miss the voice of the most special person in my life, along with those of my family, not to mention music, and those songs that hold a special place in my heart.
I'm completely blind, and yes, the mere thought of losing my hearing is scary to me, to say the least. The things I'd want to hear:
My son's laughter, my husband's laughter, some of my favorite songs, my church's worship team singing certain songs that I like, fountains, the ocean, big, loud bassy speakers with good danceable music, my mom's laughter and yes, I would probably want to hear a favorite song while being wheeled in to the OR, and many more things... and the list goes on... I would probably choose to be deaf. God obviously has a devine plan for our lives, and to destroy my life would be to destroy his plan. And, who knows, I've adjusted to my blindness and my cerebral palsy, whose to say I couldn't adjust to losing my hearing, too. Just some thoughts.
Hmmm! Same as posts 2 and 6 really. I'm partially deaf anyway and iI've had numerous ear infections in my normal left ear, so I have some temporary experience of being both blind and deaf when my left ear's just ballooned due to infection, so put it this way, it ain't very nice and I'd be terrified as well if I were to lose the hearing in both ears permanently. I guess I'd just enjoy life as it comes, both in the days, weeks and perhaps months before I lost my hearing. I'd have all my fave songs, albums, soaps and sitcoms playing in the hours before I was due to go in to theatre for the operation which would remove a tumour, but ultimately, leave me without the main sense I take for granted just to get me through day to day life, my hearing, but, I'd try anything, anything I could to be able to hear anyway, from spending another £1450 (that'd probably be around $2900 ) on an identical digital hearing aid like the one I'm currently wearing in my right ear as I have moderate hearing loss in that ear. Also, my entire family and everyone else who knows me would probably pull out all the strings they possibly could, to raise money for me to have cochlea implants, anything, to retain as much of my hearing as possible. I guess you'd just have to look on the positive side of things as much as possible, faced with that situation.
Jen.
Well, what can I say? Before last week, I would have said that not being able to hear would make me cry, and I would be totally depressed. But last week, my left ear got some kind of infection and I had to spend a week without being able to hear out of that ear. Now luckily, I still had perfect hearing in my right ear, but I cant help to admit I was a little scared. Hearing loss of any kind causes problems, especially for a person with no vision, and it's definitely hard to travel. But it wasn't that bad, otherwise, but of course, i still had my right ear. Now if I was going to be totally deaf, I'm sure i could handle it, as was said before, but I would surely miss music. I have heard of people who can not hear, and play the piano, so I would never forget how the piano sounds, and I would practice my best songs as much as possible so i dont forget how to play them when i cant hear at all, because not even perminant hearing losss will keep me away from music. i'd listen to all of my music as much as I could, even sleep with it, just so that I never forget how it sounds. Then, I'd do everything i could to salvage as much hearing as possible, but if nothing else, i would learn to deal with it just like I did last week.
If I were to lose my hearing, I'd miss hearing my family, my little sister laughin. What I'd miss most would be my boyfriend singing. I'd sing as much as I could.
hm, for me, someone saying they loved me would be the one thing I would want to hear, the song of the wolves, cries of eagles, laughter, my friend's singing, the sound of the rain, the wind, the beach, yeah. that sort of stuff, the sounds that mean the most to me
it would be hard but then i would get use to plus i might get mad for lossing hearing and that i would be able to use sign language... which would be fun...
yes but what would you miss most?
i would miss talking to my friends... i would miss being able to hear music.. cuz i love music plus i would just miss hearing my cousin whos beginning t talk... i would miss everything
Wow, for a total like me, the thought of losing my hearing is terrifying. I can't imagine living blind and deaf, unfortunateley.
Like a lot of you guys, I'd want to hear my friends' voices, and music. I love music - I both listen and play - so I'd listen to as much as I could. But then I'd be afraid that I'd forget it, you know? Like you can forget specifics of the way a friend's voice sounds, or the specifics of a song's instrumentation?
Wow, I just can't imagine that.
Scratch