Help Valentina Grace Hear, Her Journey to Sound

My name is Valentina Grace, I was born amidst the pandemic like most babies but I was born mostly deaf.

I was made extra special, I am mommy and daddy’s rainbow baby. In the beginning, it was very difficult getting appointments for me because there was a bad virus making everyone sick called Covid 19. I was so delicate and little as I couldn’t wait to meet mommy and daddy so I decided to surprise them 4 weeks early.

Time passes and everything is great! That bad virus is going away but daddy was away with the military so it was just mommy and me.

I want to tell mommy so many things and it’s hard for me to communicate with words. Hugs and slobbery kisses will do for now .

Mommy notices I really don’t like the vacuum so I cover my one partially working ear, my left. I also am very curious about this balance thing as I tend to lean in one direction because I cannot hear at all from my right ear. Needless to say, I am such a happy girl! I love my Baby Einstein show because I see very cool colors and I’m learning about sign language.

We have been seeing a lot of doctors that keep touching my ears. I don’t like it at all.

Mommy gets sad sometimes because I need a special tool to help me hear and they keep sending me to all these horrible places to sit for hours with no kids to play with. No fun!

Daddy is finally back from the Army and I’m so in love. I can’t hear what he’s saying but boy do I love this human.

I'm almost two years old now and mommy still takes me to these scary places where strangers are touching my ears. Mommy gets sad but I don’t know why.

The doctors told mom and dad that I cannot hear sounds at all from my right and barely from my left. I wonder what everything truly sounds like and I think I like music (at least the little I can hear).

When people talk to me it’s like an episode of Charlie Brown (womp womp womp) kind of like being underwater but the doctors told mom and dad I don’t have water which would’ve been easier to fix because there are a lot of white coat people that do that (also covered by insurance) and very few for what I need that accept daddy’s insurance.

One year and a half and I’m still on my journey to sound so that I can learn to speak before I am three. At 3 years old is where the chances of having speech without my hearing aids are highly unlikely.

Daddy’s insurance told us they will not pay because he is in the Army National Guard and still actively serving despite his veteran status. That daddy would have to go away again to war in harm's way for my hearing aids or leave the Army so that insurance status changes to a different plan (veteran select).

My daddy is our hero and he is not done serving our country that he proudly serves.

As my birthday closely approaches, each day is a bit closer to an avoidable life challenge and inevitable reduction in my quality of life. I’ll be in and out of appointments like I am now and mommy will continue to stay home with me to help me with my needs.

Mom and dad opened a company for me in hopes to eventually help other babies like me and their parents because there aren’t enough resources and most organizations have limitations due to volume of demand.

Mom and dad were told I need hearing aids (not covered) and Occupational Speech Therapy (limited availability due to few insurance providers covered) which will be great once I can finally hear!

I need to get 2 hearing aids at $6000 and refitted 4 more times covering till I am 3 years old. Every refitting will require a new set of hearing aids which my parents need help paying for.

This will cover my hearing aids till I’m 3!

This means I have a chance!

It will also mean the world to me.

Thank you for reading about my journey. Every bit will go towards the expenses associated with non-covered medical needs to help me.

What is it like to comprehend

Some nimble fingers that paint the scene,

And make you smile and feel serene,

With the "spoken word" of the moving hand

That makes you part of the word at large? 

You have to be deaf to understand.

What is it like to "hear" a hand?

Yes, you have to be deaf to understand

Written in 1971 by Willard J. Madsen