Dear Gianna, An Open Letter.

Dear Gianna,

I wish you knew that your hearing loss wouldn't make you shine any less than those around you. I admire your persistence to search for answers, and to be seen. I wish you could see that this would be used to teach everyone around you that people face challenges at any time in their lives. I wish you could know that people will talk about your speech, and you will grow up to take pride in how far you have come, and how far you will be going. I wish you knew that navigating this new aspect of your life will have challenges and be uncomfortable, but that you will learn to navigate the world with your hearing aids. I wish you could see that you aren’t alone in your journey, and that you have people supporting you and your accomplishments everywhere you go.

Having to navigate something so big at an age so young was difficult, and I am so proud of you. You do not have to give people a reason for the way you talk, for the things you ask to be repeated, and for the conversations you choose to remove yourself from. I admire your constant desire to be seen by those around you, and to be understood. You’ve finally navigated speech therapy and all the audiologist appointments that once seemed pointless to you. You have opened people’s eyes to the world of hearing loss, and shown persistence through everything. 

I hope that others will lean into their surrounding community, and communities that support and lift up people alike themselves. Don’t feel afraid to reach out to me, and to plug into the community around you! I am lucky to have found the For The d/Deaf Girl community, and be enriched by the stories of so many girls just like myself.