The story of two deaf children born to hearing parents & their journey from silence into the world of hearing with Cochlear Implants
Before our children were born, they had a special conversation with God. They asked Him to give them parents that would care for them, help them with their special needs and most of all love them more than anything else. With that we were chosen as parents to these beautiful children. And for that we are honored and forever grateful.
Emma was born with a genetic disorder called Connexin 26 which causes hearing loss or in her case, complete deafness. Unfortunately we did not discover she was deaf until she was 18 months old. After many tests and a lot of research we chose to have a cochlear implant surgically implanted in Emma's right ear in May of 2005. It is a very invasive surgery but it was the only way she would be able to hear. She continues to have extensive speech therapy so her language can catch up to her chronological age. On November 1, 2007 she had surgery on her left ear and is now hearing in stereo!
A proud day in the Goodwin home was on the first day of school in 2008. Emma entered into mainstream kindergarten with normal hearing peers! No special school, fully oral and doing very well!
Emma & her Auditory Verbal Therapist
aka "Great Sarah". She means everything to us! This picture will always be with us and someday with Emma as a reminder of the great person who gave her speech!
About Harrison
When we decided to have another child, first of all it took several months to actually happen. And since the genetic disorder, Connexin 26 was present in Emma, we knew there was a chance that another child may also have the dominant gene and be born deaf. But we were well prepared if that were the case. However, the probability is fairly low at only 25%. But as luck would have it as some would say, or God's will, as I believe...Harrison is also deaf. We are forever grateful to have been given him.
Olive Designs
Coming Soon! Click on image and it will take you to www.oliveeverything.com!
Cochlear Implant Clothing and Accessories for Adults and children
Click on the image and it will take you to cafepress.com. Custom designs available upon request!
It's just Common Sense!
STOP using Retarded!
Special Thanks
Friends and Family
ENT for Children
The Hearing School of the Southwest
Dr. Paul Bauer, M.D.
Tami Eick
Kara Bradford
Jilinda Robinson, CCC-SLP, Cert.AVT.
Sarah Thomas (Great Sarah) M.S.,CCC-SLP, Cert. AVT.
Favorite Poem
Welcome To Holland by Emily Perl Kingsley
Favorite Quotes
"But I need..." --Emma Goodwin (My Favorite!)
"Speech is the birthright of every child; it is the deaf child's one fair chance to keep in touch with his fellows." --Helen Keller
"Children who hear acquire language without any particular effort; the words that fall from others' lips they catch on the wing, as it were, delightedly, while the little deaf child must trap them by a slow and often painful process. But whatever the process, the result is wonderful. Gradually from naming an object we advance step by step until we have traversed the vast distance between our first stammered syllable and the sweep of thought in a line of Shakespeare." --Helen Keller
"We don't teach deaf ears to hear, we teach brains to listen." --Doreen Pollack
"Sometimes we stare too long at a door that is closing, that we see too late the one that is open." --Alexander Graham Bell
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