My name is Stephanie Charko. I’m going to explain about my life with hearing aids. I’ll also tell how I’ve dealt with them.

I was born healthy. The doctors didn’t see anything wrong with me. There no complications or anything. My life started off normal.

When I was five years old they discovered my hearing loss. My mom said that I always had 
everything too loud an I was not answering her when she called. We got my ears checked and they found I had a hearing loss. We don’t know when the hearing loss occurred and the only person who had a hearing problem when they were young was my great-grandmother’s sister. She developed a hearing problem when she was very young. At that time I was fitted for in-the-ear hearing aids [Starkey CE-7].
My mother told me that I went through a stage where I didn’t want to wear hearing aids because they were big, ugly and noticeable. I wondered why I was the only person I know who had to wear hearing aids. I guess I was OK with them most of the time. My friends always had to repeat things. I had a hard time understanding them on the phone, and I always misplaced my hearing aids.

When I was 13 years old and in eight grade, I got new hearing aids called MultiFocus [Oticon]. I loved them. At first I didn’t like them because they were too soft and I could not hear anything well. That’s because I wasn’t used to them. They were great. I heard so much better. That’s when I first became more confident because they weren’t so noticeable [mini BTE’s]. My friends forgot I had them. I heard much better on the phone and I didn’t misplace my hearing aids anymore.

A few months ago, I got new hearing aids called DigiFocus [Oticon, mini BTE]. I hear even better with the DigiFocus than with the MultiFocus. At first it was the same thing, I couldn’t hear very well, but I got used to them and I love them.

The behind the ear hearing aids are great for me. I have so much more confidence, and I’ve made so many friends. Now, I can just walk up to people and ask them what their name is. I could have never done that with the in-the-ear hearing aids. I was always afraid people would notice [my hearing aids] and not want to talk to me.

Even though I have hearing aids, I am involved in my high school chorus which involves a lot of listening. Also, I play sports like other kids. I tried out for Varsity soccer even though I’m only a freshman. I missed the team by one player, but that’s OK,. I have three more years, and I will make it next year!

I’ve really been lucky because I have great friends who like me for me. They don’t care if I have hearing aids. They like me for my personality. My friends all tell me I’m a people person and I bring them up when they are sad. They don’t understand why people can’t see past my hearing aids, but most of them do. I really don’t mind the hearing aids anymore. In fact, it’s just a part of me!

My message to other kids who wear hearing aids is that if you don’t notice them, other people won’t either. Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything even though you have hearing aids. It doesn’t matter if you have hearing aids, because you are the same as everyone else.