Winter 2020

sitting in the audiologist’s office
and her giving us the diagnosis. Our
daughter had severe to profound
hearing loss. The severity and
magnitude of those words didn’t
quite register with me.
“Are you saying she’s deaf?” I had to ask
her. The audiologist responded, “You
could say that, yes.”
I was devastated. I felt as though life, as
I knew it, was over. What would raising
a child with additional needs look like?
Would she be okay? What would happen
to my career? What would people think
of her? Of me? Did I do something to
cause her hearing loss? How would my
older daughter cope with all of this?
I was spiraling, but I knew that somehow,
I had to bounce back and be strong
for Ellie and my family. I had to push
the negativity aside and get through
the fear and uncertainty. The following
principles helped me find my bearings
and get back on track. I’m sharing them
for anyone who’s in a difficult place and
needs a little help finding their way.
Helplessness Gives Way to Courage.
After Ellie’s diagnosis, every
insecurity I had about myself seemed
to fall away. I didn’t have time to
over-analyze my weaknesses
anymore. At once, I was completely
vulnerable, but as I became her
advocate, my strength, fortitude,
and resilience grew.
When the shelter-in-place order
began, I started teaching kids yoga
classes online because I wanted to
provide a way for parents and kids to
connect and stay active. Ellie also had a
positive response to yoga acting
out different animal sounds and
combining language with movement.
This inspired me to use it as a tool to
teach her and other kids with similar
diagnoses. What started out as a
fulfilling passion blossomed into my own
business, Hop Along Yogi Kids Yoga,
something I never dreamed
of or even considered doing, but
overcoming my fears associated
with Ellie’s diagnosis gave me the
confidence and courage to tackle
any challenge thrown my way. I kept
reminding myself that it’s not about
where I’ve been but where I’m
about to go.
Tiny Victories
Create Big Momentum.
When your child has a health issue,
you become hyper aware and hyper
consumed by their progress. Along the
journey, you value mini-milestones,
even more than the great, big milestones.
With Ellie, her first word was
so amazing but the initial babbles, the
learning-to-listen sounds (moo, shhh,
ahhahh) created an even greater sense
of pride because I knew we were on the
right path. We celebrated (and will
continue to celebrate) every tiny victory
because each mini-milestone is the
catalyst to an even greater achievement.
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