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Jacob
On February 20, 1998, God blessed us with our first child Jacob. Truly the center of our lives, Jacob has shown us love and taught us compassion we never thought existed. On April 1, 1999 (April Fool’s Day) Jacob was diagnosed as being profoundly hearing impaired. Of course, we were devastated – we felt lonely, lost as if we were the first to experience this type of loss. We rapidly discovered a community that has always existed in parallel with society – a deaf society. The support, love and guidance we were given was incredible. We most certainly would not be where we are today without the help of countless professionals, caregivers, friends and loved ones along the way.
Jacob was fitted with two digital hearing aids – his reaction to a world of sound was extraordinarily quick. Within months Jacob began exploring new areas of sound and speech. At the same time, we immersed ourselves and our son in Signing Exact English (SEE). Jacob thrived with his new language often leaving us behind in his ability to attain and retain signs. His present vocabulary is well over 200 common use words – well beyond the vocabulary of most hearing children.
One June 6, 2000 Jacob received his Clarion Cochlear Implant. A long and emotional process both ended and in reality began on this day. We cannot wait to be part of the discoveries and accomplishments that await him.
Our decision to educate Jacob orally was most certainly the most difficult decision of our lives. Often a controversial decision, we chose to concentrate on Jacobs best interest and acted not only as his parents but as his closest friend and let him guide us in our choice. We have really leaned heavily on the use of SEE. We felt our choice of SEE would best facilitate his transition to speech and hearing. At the same time, we do not wish to separate Jacob from the deaf community – we certainly do not wish to make him an outcast. We will strive to maintain a balance of speech and sign actively exposing him to activities, education and experiences found only within the deaf community.
Jacob’s future is immeasurably bright. Jacob has brought us experiences that many parents never get to experience – every sign, sound and accomplishment joys our hearts. We cannot wait to progress through life with our son!