Do you remember last summer’s awesome Hearing Our Way interview with Braden Baker, the 10-year-old who has raised $100,000 for kids in need of hearing aids? Ms. Stiene’s class from Long Island, New York loved that issue of Hearing Our Way so much that they wanted to learn more about Braden. They exchanged letters and even had a Skype call with Braden! He sent lots of goodies to the students, like Find Your Purpose sweatshirts and books about his story. Way to go, Braden and f

Meet three sisters from Albany, New York who never let hearing loss get in the way of fun! Big sister Carly, 8, does not have hearing loss but when her younger sisters Emma, 6, and Molly, 1, were diagnosed with hearing loss, they inspired Carly to start a non-profit called Lemon(aids), sewing plush lemons and selling them to raise money for hearing aids! Carly: My sisters are both fun and goofy—I just love them so much! I am really happy that they have hearing aids and can h

HOW does Gwendylan hear? With her karate belt on, a chess piece in hand, and two hearing aids! All About Me Hi, I’m Gwendylan, a 6th grader from Santee, California. I love school, especially my favorite subject, math. I attend a hybrid program; 2 days a week I go to school and the other 3 days I do homeschool with my mom. I have taken piano lessons since I was 7 years old, and I love to play chess with my dad and my friends. I love nature and the outdoors, and I eat a vegan d

Hearing My Way My mild/moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was discovered during my first routine hearing check in school. Little did I know that being called down to the nurse’s office in kindergarten would lead me to a future career in audiology! I want to work with kids to make sure they have the hearing technology and accommodations they need to succeed in the classroom. Overcoming Obstacles Growing up, I was always very athletic and played on a competitive soft

HOW does Faith hear? With her Elsa-style braid, a microphone in hand, and two hearing aids! All About Me Hi, I’m Faith, a 10th grader from Midland, Texas. I am a self-proclaimed type-A, ambitious 16-year-old who loves being involved in my local community. I am part of my church’s youth group, choir, and youth band. In school, I am on the tennis team, in honor band, and class secretary. My favorite things to do are write and make music. Hearing My Way I received my hearing los

Madelyn, a talented athlete and high school senior, has played volleyball for four years. Although she faced obstacles due to her hearing loss, Maddie refused to let these challenges interfere with her love for the game. In junior high, Maddie hid her hearing aids and refused to use assistive devices. As a result, she suffered from auditory fatigue. Now 17, Maddie has learned to accept her hearing loss. She has new hearing aids, wears her hair up, and uses assistive technolog

Hearing My Way I have had a progressive hearing loss since birth. I was diagnosed at eighteen-months-old and was fit with bilateral hearing aids. My hearing loss progressed, and I received a cochlear implant during my senior year of high school. It was a difficult transition at first, but now I love my implant. I am bimodal, which means that I have one hearing aid and one cochlear implant. My Dream Career I am studying to be an audiologist because of my personal connection to

Meet Kennedi and Addison, siblings from California who never let hearing loss get in the way of fun! Kennedi, 8, and Addison, 6, both have hearing loss and wear Phonak hearing aids. Together they love to play, craft, and do Lego Robotics. Kennedi: I was diagnosed with moderate/severe hearing loss when I was seven-years-old. My parents told me I was going to get hearing aids, but when I went to school I told my friends I was getting hearing ‘eggs’! It was so funny. Now, I can

Live Out Loud A poem by Lindsay Cotterman Crying the first time you hear the refrigerator buzz because you’ve never heard it before... Receiving bad grades on video quizzes in school because they weren’t captioned... Closing your eyes during yoga and not knowing what the teacher is saying... Hating sleepovers because once the lights go out you can’t hear your friends... Watching others dancing to try to find the rhythm of the song... Saying “what” or “sorry” because you misse

"I’m only 11 years old, but I feel like I’m on the best journey ever!" All About Me Hi, I’m Braden from Fort Worth, Texas! I am 11-years-old and just finished 5th grade at Fort Worth Country Day School. I am creative and have LOTS of different hobbies including doing Rubiks cubes, drawing, plus watching AND making YouTube videos, but what I’m proudest of is raising money for people that can’t afford hearing aids. Hearing My Way I was diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss

Meet Paisley, Presley, Patton, and Pierson, siblings from Oklahoma who never let hearing loss get in the way of fun! Paisley and Presley, 8, are twin girls, and little brothers Patton, 3, and Pierson, 2, are 18 months apart! Paisley and Patton both have hearing loss and wear cochlear implants. Paisley: I’m the older twin! I was born with a mild to moderate hearing loss and wore hearing aids until I was 3. That’s when my hearing loss progressed, and I got cochlear implants. No

Sophie loves shining a spotlight on amazing kids with hearing loss around the world. Bridie’s mom wanted to share her story with us. To shine a spotlight on someone you know, write to us at info@hearingourway.com! Bridie (an Irish nickname for Bridget), is a 12-year-old with hearing aids from Richmond, Virginia. When Bridie was six, she begged Santa for a violin for Christmas. After three years of lessons, she discovered Irish fiddling, a fun twist on violin that honors her h

Dear Sophie, Hi! My name is Drew. I am 15-years-old, and I’m from Valley Stream, New York. I have a high frequency hearing loss in both ears. This means I have trouble hearing speech sounds like /s/, /f/, and th without my hearing aids. When I was 3-years-old, I had cancer. Now, I am better! My hearing loss started because of my chemotherapy treatment. The doctors found my hearing loss after they did a BAER (brainstem auditory evoked response) test. This measures how your bra

Meet Christopher, Sophia, and Valerie, siblings from California who never let hearing loss get in the way of fun! Christopher: Valerie is a great sister. I love playing with her and teaching her how to pronounce words correctly. We like to play catch together. We love each other a lot. Sophia: I like playing with my little sister because she’s sweet. If she doesn’t say some of her words right, I teach her them, and she learns from me. If she doesn’t hear or understand somethi

E M I L Y My Dream Career I want to be a pediatric audiologist to help families through the process of hearing loss diagnosis, amplification, and education. As someone who grew up wearing hearing aids and recently received a cochlear implant, I know how important it can be for kids with hearing loss to interact with adults like them. It shows them that we can be successful no matter the circumstances! My Self-Advocacy Story Until college, I was always the only person in class

HOW does Alexis hear? With a thirst for adventure, a passport in hand, and bilateral cochlear implants! All About Me Hi, I’m Alexis, and I’m 16-years-old. I live in Iowa where I love to raise farm animals, but my true passion is traveling the world and seeing as many new places as possible! Hearing My Way In preschool, I began to fail my hearing tests and got my first pair of hearing aids. From then, my hearing slowly got worse. Not only was I not hearing, but when I did hear

Looking for a fun summer activity? Chloe, Giselle, and Valeria from Stillwater, Minnesota teach us how to make Hearrings, earrings for hearing aids ! 1. Visit your local craft store (like Michaels) to pick up jewelry making materials like O-rings, lobster claws, and charms. 2. Select your favorite ‘bling’, attach it to the ring or claw, and hang it from the tubing of your hearing aid. 3. Be creative and change the charms whenever you’d like. Wear your Hearrings proudly and wi

Photo Credit: Tea for Two Photography Alex Lacamoire Musical Director of Hamilton an American Musical “My hearing loss makes me listen a little harder. It allows me to live in my own bubble. I can really focus in on music and tune out the world around me. . . Music involves all the senses. It’s about overcoming a disability to the point where you don’t feel it’s a disability anymore.” Alex Lacamoire, Tony and Grammy award winning Musical Director of the hit musical Hamilton,

Super Kaylieann! Kaylieann is a 4-year-old girl with bilateral hearing aids who surprised her dad (and the world!) with her preschool photo this year. When picture day came around, her mom laid out some outfits for Kaylieann, but instead she chose a Superman look. Turns out, her mom wasn’t too surprised by Kaylieann’s request—every day she wears at least one superhero item, from her Superman socks to her cape! The best part was when her dad, a huge comic book fan, saw the pic