HEARING
UR WAY
The magazine for kids and teens with hearing loss
VERCOMINEGS BSTACL
EVAN
SPEEDING INTO SUMMER 2024
S PHIE'S SPOTLIGHT
Life with LoLo Lorelei, (nickname “LoLo”) is a fourth grader from Dorr, Michigan, who
wears hearing aids. LoLo is always on the move and full of high energy. She loves gymnastics, singing, bike riding, playing games, and doing headstands. She only slows down to read–which she does often–going through a few chapter books a week, often reading during mealtimes. LoLo is an only child who loves spending time with her family (mom, dad, Grandma and Grandpa Miller, and Grandma and Grandpa Hall) and playing with her pet hamster, Ginger, and fish, Captain America. LoLo knows all about overcoming obstacles. She was born with two syndromes—Pierre Robin Sequence, which can cause cleft palate, underdeveloped jaw, and dysphagia, and BOR Syndrome, the cause of her bilateral conductive hearing loss. Her first few years of life were incredibly challenging, filled with surgeries, inpatient therapies, night nurses, and more. LoLo says, “When I was a baby and toddler, I had many medical problems. Some went away and others got fixed, but there are still some left today. Though if I don’t think about them it will feel like they’re not even there. So if you asked me how things are going today I would say it’s going pretty good!” Lorelei is in the mainstream setting at her local elementary school and uses an FM system with Roger pen/microphone at school. She learned to listen and talk at a specialized oral deaf preschool, and hasn’t stopped talking ever since! She’s even been referred to as ‘the mayor’ for her ability to chat with ANYONE. Her mom, Angel says, “LoLo is a natural fit to the phrase ‘bigger than life.’ She is full of love, commonly has neighbor friends over, can command a room of people she doesn’t even know with her smile or chatter, and is an old soul who loves Michael Jackson music and writing old-fashioned letters. She has overcome SO much in just her first nine years of life.”
rms Fun Fact: LoLo learned about ‘hearrings’Our(chaWay about Hearing that hook to your hearing aids) in them ever since. ring wea d five years ago, and has love pairs, including She now has a collection of about 30 ! special ones for each holiday/season
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HEARING OUR WAY
LoLo’s Tips & Tricks: Here’s a tip if you wear earmolds:
outer ear is hurting 1 ifyou,youralways tell your parents,
because it might be time to get a new, bigger earmold. Good news, you can pick a new color!
2 Here’s a really amazing trick for anyone who uses hearing aid batteries:
If you are swapping batteries, and you get the old and new batteries mixed up, drop each battery on the table. If when you drop it, it doesn’t bounce, that means it’s heavy and full of energy, so it’s the new battery. If when you drop it, it bounces, that means it’s empty, so it’s the old battery.
Sophie loves shining a spotlight on amazing kids with hearing loss around the world. To shine a spotlight on someone you know, write to us at info@hearingourway.com.
EDUCATI N STATION
Hi, I’m Dr. Purdy,
Audiology Manager of Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego. For kids and teens with cochlear implants, going to the audiologist for programming mappings are a really important way to achieve the best hearing possible. But, they require taking time away from school or activities and extra time spent driving to and from appointments and in the waiting room. Our Cochlear Implant Center had the opportunity to become a trial site for Cochlear’s new Remote Check, a way to connect patients with their audiologists virtually through an app.
At first audiologists were concerned: would the patient relationships be the same if they didn’t see each other in person? But in fact, families reported feeling more of a connection, because they felt less stressed, more relaxed, and even booked appointments more frequently if needed. Kids and teens reported feeling happier, more confident, and empowered—help is at their fingertips, and they don’t have to rely on their parents to drive them to appointments. When they go off to college, they can easily continue working with their audiologist remotely. Even babies are happy! They can sleep peacefully at home while their device electrodes are remotely checked. For families that require interpreters or captioning, Remote Check makes all of this possible and easy. An interpreter can be invited to the call, and captioning can simply be turned on through Microsoft Teams. Of course, there are some things that can’t be done remotely. Sound-booth testing and in-ear testing have to be done at the office. The program works best as a hybrid—some appointments in person, with remote appointments sandwiched in between; that gives everyone the best of both worlds. Remote Check isn’t offered nationwide yet, but Rady Children’s Hospital is always happy to share information about their program with other hospitals wanting to start their own remote programs.
The future of hearing technology gets better every day.
What an exciting time to be a kid with hearing loss! HEARING OUR WAY
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DEAR S PHIE Hi, my name is Ronan.
FUN &S GAME Why didn’t the motorcycle make it cross country? It was two tired!
What do you say to a frog who needs a ride? Hop in!
I am 13-years-old and in seventh grade. I live right outside of St. Paul, Minnesota with my 2 cats and family! I enjoy camping and backpacking as well as competitive math, reading, and outdoor activities. My hearing loss is a small part of my life. I like people to know more about me than just my hearing loss. Math has been something I have always enjoyed. I compete in math in many different ways. I do MathCounts (a competitive math program) and am in the Roseville High School Math League. I also attend a highly advanced math class at the University of MN in place of my middle school math classes. Even though these classes and competitions may be outside of school, I always use my self-advocacy skills to request accommodations such as sitting in the front, wearing my hearing aids, and asking for clarification if something is missed. My bilateral hearing loss was acquired after I went through cancer treatment at age 3. Having hearing loss can be a burden at times, like when I have to change my hearing aid batteries often due to short battery life. It also can be tiring to explain my hearing loss when people ask questions. At the same time, I’m lucky to have friends who know about my hearing loss and will repeat things when necessary—plus they’re very loud! I have big goals I hope to accomplish in life. I hope to get an A+ in my U of MN math class, and I would like to place in the top 15 in the MathCounts state meet next year. My desired profession is to be a Pediatric Oncologist Neurologist.
Your friend, Ronan
Dear Ronan,
to become a doctor It’s really cool that you want inspired by your own who helps kids with cancer, forward! According cancer journey. Way to pay it do anything you set to my calculations, you can your mind to!
Love, Sophie
Why do DJs make terrible drivers? They keep changing tracks!
What brand of motorcycle is the funniest?
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HEARING OUR WAY
Answer on back cover.
Yamahahahahaha!
Wondering what you can expect in The BIG Book of Hearing Our Way ? Here’s your exclusive first look
Baby Emily is all grown up!
Jacob married the love of his life!
Azalea was on TV !
HEAR FOR Y U HEARING OUR WAY is dedicated to supporting the next generation of young self-advocates with hearing loss. Our products feature educational content and resources that parents and teachers seek in fun and engaging ways that kids and teens love! To learn more and purchase our products, visit hearingourway.com.
’s a t i . h.. peek h h S eak sn
These exclusive updates and so much more can only be found in The BIG Book of Hearing Our Way!
Add this new keepsake book to your collection by pre-ordering today: www.hearingourway.com/bigbook or scan the QR code. HEARING OUR WAY
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