Haley is a typical kid. Well...I don’t exactly know if typical kids scooter at maximum speed down the neighborhood wearing their mom’s four inch high heels. But considering Haley is profoundly deaf, she is pretty dang typical.
When Haley was diagnosed with hearing loss at a couple days old we envisioned our lives to look very different than they do today. Even when she got her cochlear implants at a year old we were warned that she won’t just “pick up” language. We were told that understanding others and acquiring intelligible spoken language would require intervention and a lot of hard work.
Haley is due to begin her fourth and final year at Northern Voices this fall. I cannot stress enough the impact that this school has had on our lives. The fact that we sometimes forget our girl is deaf speaks volumes as to how well she is doing. And we strongly believe she is where she is because of this school and the teachers in it. This kid was meant to talk. Here are a couple videos of her this year.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zHz4pgh_ATQ&feature=youtu.be
Like many other places, Northern Voices took a big financial hit with COVID-19. It is a non-profit that relies on tuition and donations for funding. Being so near and dear to our hearts, we need your help to make sure that it will be around for years to come. There are other Haley’s out there, brimming with potential and needing a little help to reach it.
Whether it is through a donation, spreading the word about this school to other kids with hearing loss, or by simply tuning in and following Haley’s progress we are incredibly grateful. We have and continue to feel the love sent our way by all of you. It means the world. THANK YOU!
Love,
Hans, Jenny, Casey and Haley