I Was Ashamed of My Hearing Aids—Until I Had Kids

I am excited to have my hearing loss story featured on Woman’s Day online. Please click through to support media coverage of hearing loss issues.  

I’ve worn the same thing every single day for almost 20 years. I used to wear it during the day and take it off to sleep, but now I wear it at night, too. Sometimes it fits like a second skin, and I forget I have it on. Other days, it hurts. Sometimes it draws attention to itself, but often it goes unnoticed. Sometimes I hate it. Other times I love it. But I always need it.

It is my hearing aid.

My father wore hearing aids too. He hid his behind sideburns grown long for that purpose. He never discussed his hearing loss, though, which taught me that hearing aids were something to hide – something unmentionable, and certainly nothing to celebrate.

So when I started to lose my hearing in my mid-20s, I decided denial was better, and ignored it. I bluffed my way through difficult hearing situations and began to avoid friends and family I could not hear well. I was following in my father’s footsteps, filled with shame and isolation.

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5 thoughts on “I Was Ashamed of My Hearing Aids—Until I Had Kids

  1. Susan Berger – Blogging is one big experiment for me. Will it work? Who knows. I'll link websites that have published my essays and maybe I'll write original posts. My topics will be observations, points of view and life as I see it. I'm still marinating...
    Berger's Blather says:

    Nice!

    1. Shari Eberts – NYC – Shari Eberts is a passionate hearing health advocate and internationally recognized author and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is the founder of Living with Hearing Loss, a popular blog and online community for people with hearing loss, and an executive producer of "We Hear You," an award-winning documentary about the hearing loss experience. Her book, "Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss," (co-authored with Gael Hannan) is the ultimate survival guide to living well with hearing loss. Shari has an adult-onset genetic hearing loss and hopes that by sharing her story, she will help others to live more peacefully with their own hearing issues.
      Living With Hearing Loss says:

      I wear Lyrics. They are worn 24/7 for 8 weeks at a time. They work well for me.

    1. Shari Eberts – NYC – Shari Eberts is a passionate hearing health advocate and internationally recognized author and speaker on hearing loss issues. She is the founder of Living with Hearing Loss, a popular blog and online community for people with hearing loss, and an executive producer of "We Hear You," an award-winning documentary about the hearing loss experience. Her book, "Hear & Beyond: Live Skillfully with Hearing Loss," (co-authored with Gael Hannan) is the ultimate survival guide to living well with hearing loss. Shari has an adult-onset genetic hearing loss and hopes that by sharing her story, she will help others to live more peacefully with their own hearing issues.
      Living With Hearing Loss says:

      Thanks for reading!

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