29 Year-old Deaf Woman Weeps As She Hears Her Own Voice for the First Time

Some people look, but do not see. Others hear, but do not listen. Many of us are born without any difficulty with our senses and several take this for granted. How many times did we appreciate the sunrise or the sunset? The smiles on the faces of our loved ones? The I-love-yous of family and friends? The chirping of the birds and the rumbling of the ocean?

The world is filled with so much beauty, but not everyone is given the opportunity to experience the bounty of life.  Many a time we overlook the fact that we are lucky to be able to just see, talk, and hear. More often, we complain about what is missing in our lives. We do not recognize the fact that out in the world are individuals who wish to get even a glimpse of how their loved ones look like, how gifted their children are in dancing and singing, and what it feels like to hear from your family and friends how much they love you.

One of the most inspiring stories is that of Sarah Churman’s. She was born deaf in 1982. She worn hearing aids most of her life since she was two years old. Without her hearing aid, she could not hear most sounds with 80 bilateral decibel loss. She had lived 29 years lip reading with only a single bit of hearing. Little did she know, her life was about to change. While her husband was driving in town, he heard about Envoy Medical’s Esteem Hearing Implant. Sarah researched about the procedure and their high hopes stumbled upon learning how much it would cost for the operation.

With the help of her mother-in-law, the operation was set. After spending nine hours in the operation room, she battled with two weeks of pain and discomfort. The eight weeks of waiting to activate the implant was likewise exhausting for her physically, mentally, and emotionally. Finally, the waiting game was over. Back to the center in The Woodlands in Texas, where the implant was performed, Sarah, family members, and doctors await for what could be Sarah’s first time of hearing herself. After some tries in activating the implant, Sarah had finally heard everything clearly. With mouth covered so she could not lip read, she first heard her husband’s voice.

The story of Sarah has taught us to trust in God. With faith in Him and the intervention of science and man, nothing is impossible. Our life is a rollercoaster ride. It is not easy and there will be ups and downs. But we should not be blinded by the difficulties, because like the rollercoaster ride, our lives give us reasons to be happy and have fun. As what Sarah said, “God will give you more than you can bear, but He’ll give you the tools to make it through.” In good and in bad, one thing should remain- faith in God and his plans.