I was born deaf, and I gained my hearing back when I was six months old - it was a miraculous event.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
Close to birth... I lost, like, 80 percent of my hearing, and I had difficulty speaking.
I think being deaf gave me an increased sense of sight.
I am the fourth generation of being deaf.
I was actually tone deaf until I had tumors in my ears - I had very small ear canals - removed. Once they fixed that, I was actually able to sing in a pleasant manner.
Since I knew my deaf identity since birth, it wasn't hard for me to be comfortable, confident, and independent in a hearing world.
I did not develop my ear. I discovered I had an ear, and it was an accident.
In 1967, I found out I was losing my hearing. I went 10 years without any help. I had otosclerosis - hardening of the bone in the middle of the ear.
I am fourth-generation deaf, which means everyone in my immediate family is deaf. So I grew up always having 100 percent accessibility to language and communication, which was wonderful and something so many deaf people don't have.
I was born deaf. Sound never existed in my life, and this is completely normal to me.
When I was young I knew I was deaf. I couldn't accept it.