A limitation points us to our potential. At least that’s how it is in Dr. Michelle Hu’s experience. A bilateral cochlear implant (CI) user, her experience dealing with hearing loss has led her to a vocation in paediatric audiology. Currently residing in California, she’s actively spoken out about the challenges living with hearing and how she deals with them. Not only is she living with her hearing loss with dignity, but she’s also been impacting lives by doing so. I interviewed her to find out how you and I might do the same.
Michelle’s Hearing Loss Was Progressive
Michelle was born with a mild hearing loss associated with Pendred Syndrome and enlarged vestibular aqueducts (EVAS). She started wearing hearing aids at age 3. The hearing aids became less effective each time her hearing levels dropped. She experienced the first drops in hearing when she was in elementary school. The last drop was during her senior year of college. It led her to CIs because hearing aids were no longer a helpful option. She was implanted in her left side during her third year of graduate school in 2008. She went bilateral three years later.
That Didn’t Stop Her from Having A Life
Michelle grew up as a sociable kid. She recounted times when she’d tuck her hair behind her ears to show her hearing aids off. When someone asked, she’d show them the switches and batteries, how she puts them on and tell them “Now I can hear!” Michelle believed that the more she talked about it, the more ownership she took, and the easier it became.
Michelle also credited her positive experience growing up to her parents and teachers. Her parents emphasized that hearing aids were just something she happened to need like how we need seat belts in the car. Michelle’s teachers even set up a session specifically for her to share with her classmates about her hearing condition and the hearing aids.
She Lost Her Hearing Further & Found Her Future in Audiology
Michelle went on to attend Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, where she majored in Sociology and Chemistry. In her senior year of college in 2005, she experienced another drop in her hearing level. It was the latest drop since the last one in elementary school. While waiting to test her hearing after this event, her mother suggested that she’d make a good audiologist given her first-hand and frequent encounter with the process. Michelle said ‘Yes.’ Especially since she hadn’t figured out the next step after college.
It’s the answer to her post-graduation plan. She applied to the doctorate of audiology programme at the University of Akron that fall. She graduated in 2009 and has since been working as a paediatric audiologist.
She Has Her Share of Anxiety and Frustration
It’s important to see that Michelle is a human, like you and me. She’s had her share of moments caring about how others perceive her cochlear implants and being frustrated in some situations. She cared on some first dates and her wedding day. She also cared when she was freshly postpartum trying to make new friends with fellow mothers at a noisy gathering. She wishes she didn’t have to focus to listen in noisy environments and miss out on fast and hysterical group conversations. Maybe that’s a vanity issue – but who doesn’t have such moments? Nevertheless, she embraces them with strides.
But She Stands Up to Them
She showed her husband her CIs on their first date. And her husband loved it. He loved how direct she was with her dating intentions and was attracted to her confidence. Today, they are proud parents of two girls – 2.5 years old and 1 year old respectively.
She Runs A Gem-Packed Instagram Account
Outside of work, Michelle is using her voice as an experienced paediatric audiologist and as a CI user to offer support to those in need. She created an Instagram account (@mama.hu.hears) and a website (www.mamahuhears.com) to share her experience living with hearing loss and CI in January this year. Today, eight months later, she’s made over 160 posts filled with personal stories, tips and insights for CI users/candidates and parents of one. The account has almost 2,000 followers – many of whom are CI users who’d chip in with their stories and tips in the comment section of Michelle’s posts.
*Update on 20 Aug 2021: Michelle’s “My Child Has Hearing Loss Now What?” programme was recently launched. Designed to serve parents caring for kids with hearing loss, this programme is a culmination of Michelle’s first-hand encounter with hearing loss and decade-long professional experience working with deaf and HOH kids (and their parents).
One-Sentence Takeaway: “It’s About What We Can Do with It.”
One takeaway she has for you and me here is that it’s normal for us to sometimes feel self-conscious about our CIs. It’s about what we choose to do with it. Do we choose to rise above and define it (instead of letting it define us)? Could we take responsibility for it and educate others gracefully? Don’t let it have power over ourselves. Rather, discover what we CAN do with it – then figure out what we need and figure out how to ask for it – or create it ourselves!
Michelle and family
Michelle and daughters
You could find more cochlear implant user stories here.
CI Project collects cochlear implant user stories. I’d like to invite you to join the private Facebook group. You’ll receive an update of each new story (about once a month) and will get to interact with the characters of each story there. I’m also looking for more cochlear implant user stories. I’d appreciate it if you could nominate a cochlear implant user (including yourself) for me to write a story about!