Parent Stories

Minnesota Hands & Voices works with unique, diverse families all across the state. Several of our families have shared their stories here.

Ahmed’s Story (English & Somali)

We were very excited to have a healthy baby boy. He was perfect in every way. When the nurses told us our baby would have his hearing tested, we thought nothing of it. No one in our family has hearing difficulties. When they told us he did not pass the test and needed to be tested again by a specialist, we were very concerned. Read More.

Waxa aan aad ugu faraxnay marka oo noo dhashay wiil caafimaad qaba. Waa uu fiicna dhinac walba oo aad ka eegto. Laakin nursiga ayaa waxa ay nagu tidhi waxa baadhitaan lagu samaynayaa xaga maqalka, anaguna wax wayn umaanan arag sabata oo ah hada ka hor kuma ayna dhicin qof ka mid ah qoyska. Markaii lanoo sheegay in loo baahanyahay baadhitaan dambe in lagu sameeyo oo uu arko qof khibrad u leh ayaan warwarnay. Markii laga qaaday baadhitaan kale oo ay baadheen dadk khibrada u leh maqalka (audiologist), ayaa waxa ay ku sheegen in uuna si fiican wax u maqlin (mild-to-moderately hard of hearing). Aad iyo aad ayaan uga xumaanay. Akhri wax dheeraad ah.

Ben’s Story

Our son Ben was our firstborn. We were thrilled to be new parents, and we looked forward to sharing music and laughter, and being an active family. When Ben wasn’t rolling over at four months, we knew something was wrong. When he still wasn’t at six months, we were told that he had cerebral palsy on one side of his body. They also warned us that he might have many other challenges, including being hard of hearing. Read More.

Erik’s Story (English & Spanish)

Our son is fourteen months old, and he is severe- to profoundly deaf. The day that Erik was identified was a very sad day for us. We started searching for the best option for him, and heard about a cochlear implant that allowed kids to learn to hear and talk. We hoped, though, that maybe with time, his hearing would improve without an implant, because we didn’t want to get to the point that surgery was necessary. Read More.

Nuestro hijo tiene 1 año y 2 meses, y su pérdida de audición es del grado severo-profundo. El día que a Erik le diagnosticaron su pérdida de audición fue un día muy triste para nosotros. Empezamos a buscar cuál era la mejor opción para Erik y nos comentaron sobre un implante coclear que hacía que los niños pudieran aprender a escuchar y a hablar. Pero nosotros teníamos la esperanza de que tal vez con el paso del tiempo su oído mejorara sin necesidad de algún implante, puesto que no queríamos llegar al grado de necesitar la cirugía. Lee mas.

Molly’s Story

I will never forget the day that Molly’s deafness was identified. When she was thirteen months old, Bob and I were perplexed when we tried to get Molly’s attention by calling her name. She wouldn’t look at us. Then we stomped her feet and got her attention. That’s how we knew. I was born deaf because my mother contracted German Measles when she was pregnant with me. I did not think that I would have deaf children. Boy, was I wrong! Read More.

Paige’s Story

My daughter Paige is five. She is severe- to profoundly deaf. I still remember the process of having her identified, sorting through communication opportunities, and reach for support from the deaf and hard of hearing community. Paige was identified at two months of age. After frequently hearing about “how lucky” I was to have such a sound sleeper, I began to question our “luck.” Our pediatrician took our family’s concerns seriously. We were referred to an ENT and subsequently an audiologist. Read More.

Sophie’s Story (English and Hmong)

When our daughter, Sophie, was born, she could hear. However, when she turned two, we found out that she could no longer hear and was profoundly deaf. We were devastated. Eventually, we made the decision to move on and to seek the best programs and tools to help her. We met with teachers of deaf and hard of hearing children, joined other parents with similar children for support, and learned sign language. Read More.

Thov hawm txug cov nam txiv kws muaj mivnyuas tsis nov lug hab qhov ntsej puag: Wb kuj muaj ib tug miv nyuas kws tsis nov lug lossis qhov ntsej puag ib yaam le meb hab. Thaum yug lug, wb tug ntxhais, npe hu ua Sophie, kuj nov hug. Vim kev mob, thaum Sophie muaj ob xyoo, nwg ca le tsis nov lug lawm. Thaum wb ob nam txiv paub has tas nwg tsis nov lug lawm, wb kuj muaj kev nyuaj sab hab tu sab heev. Tabsis tom qaab ntawd, wb kuj xaav has tas cas wb nrhav kua tau txhua txuj kev hab txhua yaam kev paab kws luas muaj lug paab nwg. Wb ob leeg kuj tau moog ntsib cov xwb fwb kws qha cov mivnyuas kws puag pob ntseg hab nrug lwm cov nam txiv tawv dlawb kws muaj mivnyuas zoo le wb tug nuav moog kawm lug pav teg pav taw. Peb suavdlawg kuj sib paab txhawb zug hab sib paab kawm ua ke. Nyeem ntxiv.

Anonymous' Story (English and Spanish)

I am a proud Latina mom who immigrated to this wonderful country 10 years ago, with no close family. I am a single mother of a son with Bilateral Hearing Difference and Down Syndrome.

Before my little one was born they gave me the news that my son would be born with Down Syndrome, from that moment on I dedicated myself to talking to him, researching and loving him unconditionally even before he was born.When my son was 2 years old I was confirmed to have bilateral deafness, so I decided I would use Hearing Aids. Read More

Yo soy una orgullosa mamá Latina que emigró a éste maravilloso país hace 10 años, sin familia cercana. Soy madre soltera de un hijo con Diferencia Auditiva Bilateral y Síndrome de Down.

Antes de que mi pequeño naciera me dieron la noticia de que mi hijo nacería con Síndrome de Down, a partir de ése momento me dedique a hablarle, investigar y amarlo incondicionalmente aún antes de nacer. Cuando mi hijo cumplió 2 años de edad me confirmaron que tenía sordera bilateral, así que decidí que usaría Hearing Aids. Lee Mas