Our family is undeniably stronger at the end of this year than we were a year ago, mostly due to the coming together we have done and will continue to do to support Skylar's hearing loss. Our strength depends on each of us being healthy and happy, and it's been an intense but rewarding journey to figure out what that means for each of us in light of emerging circumstances.
In July, we will be traveling to LA for a three week intensive program for deaf and hard of hearing kids and their families. There are a lot of reasons to be excited about this, but my number one reason is the opportunity for our family to share our experiences with other families, and to show Skylar there are other kids like her, that hearing loss is a part of who she is, but only a part, not the sole defining characteristic, not her whole identity. She and Paige are at a truly magical age where they embrace everything about their world. I hope we all get the chance to embrace the deaf and hard of hearing community of (international!) preschoolers at John Tracy Clinic, learn from them, and go home even stronger than we are today.
Happy 2011 Paige and Sky, you light up my life and no matter how cliche it sounds, you teach me things every day. I love you so much.
Location:Los Altos, CA
