I am writing this on the morning of my oldest son, Taylor’s, 20th birthday. I am a bit melancholy today, as I am not able to see my precious boy, hold him or sing to him on his special day. I know, I know…he is 20 years old. But as all moms know, your little boy will always be your little boy.

Why am I not able to share this special day with Taylor? Well, there is a very good reason! He is camping in the mountains above Sedona, AZ with his college fraternity brothers and they are without cell reception!

What a difference 20 years makes! Shortly after Taylor’s birth, he was diagnosed with a severe-to-profound bilateral sensori-neural hearing loss. To a new mom, those were devastating words…words that would impact our lives every day for the rest of our lives.

Right away after the diagnosis, we were on the phone with our friends at Tucker Maxon in Portland. My husband, Sid was a student there in the last ‘60s and we knew they could offer us help. Pat Stone sent us in the direction of Star Leonard-Fleckman and we started therapy a few weeks later.

At the time, Taylor was the youngest child that Star had ever worked with. We were embarking on this adventure together through uncharted (by us!) territory. We continued auditory-verbal therapy with Star in her basement for several more years, along with Taylor’s little brother, Ryan, who was also born with hearing loss.

Thinking back over the last twenty years, I have seen so many changes in my children’s lives and so many wonderful changes at Listen and Talk as well. We were a part of Listen and Talk before it came to be. When my children were infants, the thought of a school where hearing-impaired children could learn to speak and read lips was just a far away dream. A preschool classroom where they could interact with and learn from their hearing peers seemed too good to be true. An opportunity to get a tube fixed on a hearing aid while you were in therapy….a mother’s fantasy!

Through the hard work and generosity of many individuals, Listen and Talk came to be. And our family, like countless others, has benefited so much from that. Ryan, our second son, was in the very first preschool class at Listen and Talk. At the time, it was located in the Laurelhurst neighborhood. It was quite a drive from our home in Lake Stevens, but worth every mile we put on our car.

Both of our boys were mainstreamed into our neighborhood school at Kindergarten and continued to receive services from Listen and Talk. Taylor “graduated” from Listen and Talk after second grade and Ryan received services until 4th grade. Through the years, we worked closely with Star, Maura, Kim and Sandy. They became like family to us, and we will always hold them near and dear to our hearts.

Today Taylor is a sophomore at Arizona State University pursuing a double major in Urban Planning and Communications. Yes, that is correct, Communications! Isn’t that ironic and wonderful all at the same time? Ryan is a sophomore in high school and plays football. He is also an excellent student and has been nominated to join the National Honor Society.

When I reflect on the last twenty years, I am so grateful to Listen and Talk for the gifts they have given us: Two independent, bright young men, who have the skills to face the world and all its challenges with courage and confidence.