Ready, set, summer New uniforms - RAF Lakenheath

Jet48Health & FitnessBetter Hearing and Speech Month:Verla D. Davis48th Fighter Wing Public AffairsDo you hear me talking to you?Do you hear me talking to you?Do you hear me talking to you?I look back on those words with guilt. I was a young mother tryingto get the attention of my 2-year-old. I thought he was just ignoring melike some 2-year-olds do, but as I moved closer and closer to him; hedidn’t respond.I clapped my hands, called his name, but my little angel didn’t turnhis head from the television. He didn’t even know I was in the room.I would later learn that a silent predator was lurking about; one Icouldn’t shield my child from.We took him to the pediatrician and he was given a physical exam,that tested his fine motor skills, language skills and hearing. They weretedious tests to a very active toddler; it was hard for him to sit still orstay focused. It took about three months to get an accurate reading.Finally, the silent predator was found.He was diagnosed with mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears aswell as speech and language delay. That our lives changed day.My husband and I recounted the two years prior to the diagnosis tosee what we had done wrong; what could we have changed.After I dried my tears, my husband and I decided to do what wasbest to help our little guy get through the pending changes in his life.He was immediately enrolled in Educational & DevelopmentalIntervention Services and then later in a Department of DefenseDependent Schools pre-kindergarten program. Both institutions notonly helped him to cope, but they helped us cope as well.We learned we were not alone and hearing loss is a common conditionthat affects both young children and adults. One to three kids per1,000 are born with a hearing impairment and others develop it duringchildhood.While fell into the “others” category because our son was born withnormal hearing, we still had to face some other issues: family members,silent predators can affect anyonefriends and general public.The stares we received as we walked causally in the mall, grocerystore or when we visited family members were overwhelming in thebeginning. If I could put him in a box, I would have so people wouldn’tthink he wasn’t normal. After all it didn’t bother him, but it botheredme.We had to give constant speeches as to what happened and why. Wehad to give answers we still didn’t have. By the end of the first year, wehad become pros at responding to questions and the stares no longerbothered me.That same year, we found out we were expecting a little girl. Wewere initially told that she would be OK, and if hearing loss ran in ourfamily, girls aren’t normally affected.We were overjoyed. As a precaution, she had frequent hearingscreenings which began at 1 week old. The tests were normal. She wasfine and my excitement grew.Then it happened. At age 2, she was diagnosed with mild hearingloss. There was no history of hearing loss in either of our families. Whyour children? What was going on?Again my world shattered, but something was different for me thistime: I had faith. It was our faith in God that helped us through. Weknew both children suffered from a neurological hearing loss. It washereditary, and we accepted we couldn’t safeguard against that; it wasout of our control.It is important to educate ourselves as much as possible duringBetter Hearing and Speech Month so we can help and understand thoseaffected by hearing loss in our community.Our chaplain, EDIS and DoDDS programs have been instrumentalin helping my family and children succeed.Today, my teenage son is an all-round athlete who tries his hand atany sport; some he excels in and some say he is pretty good. My preteendaughter loves to sing; I hear her in her room every morning asshe wakes with a song in her heart. Both are A/B students who excel inschool and never let their hearing loss stand in their way to achievetheir goals.lakenheath intramural sports schedulesvolleyballMay 305:30 p.m. 48 MSS vs. 492 FS6:30 p.m. 48 LRS vs. 48 CES7:30 p.m. 48 CPTS vs. 48 CSMay 315:30 p.m. 492 FS vs. SFS6:30 p.m. CS vs. MSS7:30 p.m. MDG vs. CPTSJune 15:30 p.m. 48 CS vs. 48 CMS6:30 p.m. 48 SFS vs. 48 MSS7:30 p.m. 48 MDG vs. 48 CESJune 55:30 p.m. 48 MDG vs. 48 SFS6:30 p.m. 48 SFS vs. 48 CS7:30 p.m. 48 EMS vs. 48 MUNSWednesdayamerican leagueField 15:30 p.m. 48 LRS B vs. 48 CS6:30 p.m. 492 FS A vs. 48 SFS B7:30 p.m. 100 CS vs. 100 CES8:30 p.m. 48 MDG A vs. 352 SOG BField 25:30 p.m. 48 SFS B vs. 48 CMS B6:30 p.m. 100 SVS vs. 48 CES A7:30 p.m. 492 FS vs. 48 MUNS AsoftballTuesdaynational leagueField 15:30 p.m. 48 CES B vs. 727 AMS6:30 p.m. 48 MUNS B vs. 48 CMS A7:30 p.m. Lakenheath women vs. 100 LRSField 25:30 p.m. 48 MOS vs. 352 OSS6:30 p.m. 492 FS B vs. 48 SFS A7:30 p.m. 48 EMS B vs. DET 4Information provided by the Fitness center.For more information, contact the gym at 226-3607.PAGE 14 JET 48 MAGAZINE May 26, 2006