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Ashley Morris-Parent Mentor
Hearing loss was never on my radar until 2007. That year, my daughter was born profoundly deaf. Much later, I learned she had sensorineural hearing loss due to connexin 26. After failing her newborn screening at the hospital, my daughter had her first ABR at 8 weeks and by the time she turned three months old, she was sporting the tiniest hearing aids I had ever seen. Her older sister actually referred to them as her earrings. At age 10 months in the summer of 2008, my daughter received bilateral cochlear implants at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Dr. Audie Woolley performed the surgery and one month later, she uttered her first word and has yet to slow down. From LING checks to babble games, she caught up to her peers in her language development. She loves singing, playing with her sister and two best friends, going to gymnastics and visiting the beach all while wearing her bionic ears. ashley.peeps@yahoo.com
Donna Hammock-Parent Mentor
My name is Donna Hammock and I have been married to Nathan for almost 10 years. We have a 5yr old son and are currently in the process of adopting our daughter from China. I retired from the Alabama Air National Guard in Nov 08 and I am now enjoying being a full-time mom. We love to travel and visit museums and parks and are always looking for new and exciting places to visit. We found out that our son was profoundly deaf when he was two and a half and we immediately began working with Dr. Woolley and the Children's HEAR Center, getting him hearing aids first and then cochlear implants three months later. Pearson has enlarged vestibular aqueducts and genetic testing discovered his Pendreds Syndrome. He has worn bilateral cochlear implants for almost three years now and loves attending his preschool where other hearing impaired children attend also. With his preschool primarily focusing on listening and spoken language, his expressive and receptive language is flourishing. donna.peeps@yahoo.com
Val Blakely-Parent Mentor
I'm Val Blakely, mom to Gage (9) and Brooklyn (6). Both of my children wear bilateral cochlear implants. Each child wore hearing aids around three years before receiving their implants. Brooklyn's cause of hearing loss is unknown at this point, she passed her newborn screening, but as an infant, we discovered her progressive loss. Gage was born deaf and has Goldenhar Syndrome, therefore his loss is syndromic and not genetic. I have many volunteer activities, including participating in presentations around the state, moderating hearing loss blogs at Deaf Village, and writing for Cochlear Kids and Bama Ears blogs. I also enjoy being a substitute teacher. Volunteering has been very rewarding for me personally and I hope to help and encourage as many families as possible as a parent mentor. valb.peeps@yahoo.com
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