Heros

I just returned from a conference in LA.  I forgot how much I love the Omni in downtown LA.  They know how to do it.  Anyway, I left there, as I always do, from the work I do, feeling blessed that I get to do what I do and moved by the folks I meet.  The was a conference for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  They come together, families and professionals, to learn, share, grow and motivate.  I am always inspired by the parents who may be struggling with the fact that their child is deaf but who are soldiering on and learning and asking questions and trying to be the best parent they can be to help their child.  My last presentation I wrote was a panel of parents, five families represented, all who have children with moderate to severe hearing loss.  They spoke about their journeys, all very different, but all very interesting.  I admired their tenacity, their love for their children, and their devotion to "getting it right" for them.  One mother explained she comes from a culture where if something isn't understood, it's shunned.  She and her husband had no choice but to do what they needed to for their two of four children who are deaf.  They learned sign and they made the decision to get them cochlear implants.  They embraced the ASL culture, learned it themselves along with their children.  They embraced the CI (cochlear implant) culture and they shared their experience with their very own native culture.  One couple left everything they knew and loved and moved to the US just to give their child a chance of hearing better.  One mom tells the story of her daughter being in the car from sun up to sun down, traveling from school to speech therapy to a special tutor.  These are blue collar, hard-working families who never questioned "why" they were in this situation, but they dealt with it the best way they knew how, and it was pretty impressive. 
We all throw the word "hero" around.  These parents would not see themselves as heros, but I do.  These are days when after a lot of writing and tired hands, I still love what I do..........