The Story of Isabelle
My story starts like any other story: Once upon a time long, long ago, I was born with bilateral hearing loss. My left ear had mild hearing loss, and my right ear was profoundly deaf.
While growing up, I was teased and picked on. I resented that I was ‘special’ for the wrong reasons. I wanted to be unique for my accomplishments, not because I was deaf, and I couldn’t convey my needs or accommodations.
Around the age of 22, my left ear went from mild, to severe, to profound within a month. I grieved, and mourned what little natural hearing I had left. From there, it only made it glaring that the type of struggles I had before were now 10x more.
Many years passed and slowly but surely, I found new hearing aids that helped me build up friendships, and new communities that accepted me for who I am.
I started a tea party with my friend Liz. The idea was that we would hold it in Bryant Park. The story that came about was: We both were sitting with friends who wanted coffee. Liz and I both mentioned that we would rather have tea. I added that I love tea in teacups because it meant you had to stand still. When you are carrying Starbucks cup to go, it indicated your willingness to leave at the drop of a hat. A teacup is fragile to hold in your hand, a beauty to admire, and a shame to put down and not finish your tea. What is tea without biscuits or conversation?
It’s the first place I felt that my deafness was attributing. Over the years, I have met people who have asked me how could they would go about speaking to people who are deaf? Or If their child has a disability, how would they deal with their anger at the world?
I am easily able to answer those questions because I have been there. I have been in those shoes. My hearing got worse to the point that I needed cochlear implants.
No matter how my hearing was, good or bad, my tea parties supported me.
Being implanted changed a lot of things for me, and perspectives, I have been able to hear something that I missed as a child and be at peace with my deafness.
I am not just deaf; I am a rock climber, I am a hiker, I am swimmer, I am advocate, I am an aspiring audiologist, I am a good friend, I am a good listener, I am a cat mom, I am a model. My hearing is a bonus that adds to my experiences, making them better.
The artist’s comment:
I know how lonely the road of hearing loss can feel. I also know how amazing it is to find a friend who accepts you for who you are and to be able to help others who are walking on similar paths.
When I chose Isabelle’s painting, there were no pictures of the tea party she referenced in the story and by doing a little digging, I noticed that Isabelle is loving cat mamma. Even though I was tempted to paint her with her cat, I decided to honor the story that she chose to share because it was much more meaningful to her hearing loss journey. So I added a tea cup to Isabella’s painting and had the steam highlighting her ear and cochlear implant.
Buy this Art at the PriscilaSoares.com Professional Art Shop:
This artwork can be purchased as a high quality professional print in the material, size and hanging feature of your choice. Use my newest “Augmented Reality” Tool which allows you to try this piece of art right on the wall you plan to hang it, by using the camera on your device. Can’t use your device? Choose the “Wall Preview” tool, where you can visualize my art in common areas such as living rooms, cafes and even bedrooms, change the artwork size and the wall color to your preference.
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