My brother jumped into my car earlier today, as we got to the end of the road I noticed a wire from his Iphone and asked him what it was for.
He said it was for his iphone, and I asked again but why? he said its so he can listen to music. For most of us that's not strange or abnormal at all, for me though I had to double check
'Music? what music?' my brother has been deaf since for the past 25 odd years but there he was trying to listen to music..
About fifteen years ago he had a cochlear implant fitted to help him hear, the first implant was a big problem for him as it gave him headaches whenever he turned it on and he ended up not using it much at all, later on he was given a second device that helped him to understand sounds and helped him improve his speech. This, his third device has helped him even more and he sound recognition has improved year on year. He can now hear sounds and words but can't tell what people are saying, he will have to learn this all over again.
As we sat in the car, he hooked up his iphone to the car speakers, we sat and listened to Bob Marley. 'someone is singing now' and 'thats a saxaphone' ' sounds like drums' every now and again he would comment on what he could hear. He goes for tests yearly at a hospital in London, last year his test results were 17% this year they were 42%, he spoke to someone last year who said they can now conversate with people on the phone after four years of using the implant.
As some might be aware its the holy month of Ramadhan for Muslims, a month where between the dawn and sunset muslims do not eat or drink amongst other things they abstain from during the hours of daylight. In the winter months this is no biggie, in the summer months when the set beings to rise at 3am and doesnt set until 9pm its slighter tougher on the body.
Anyway the opening of the fast or the iftar is a blessed time, and generally a time where Muslims will gather together and break bread (and kebabs/somosas/rice etc). Me and my brother had travelled to East London to meet a group of deaf muslims to open the iftar with them. It was a surreal experience for me and a chance for me to spend a few hours in my brothers shoes. People all around me furiously moving their hands around I knew they were communicating with each other but really had no idea what was going on with most of it. There were children and old people, a real family atmosphere lots of talking but very little sounds.
It was a beautiful experience though, I'm a bit of a wimp and am easily moved to tears this was no different. For me just the fact these people had gathered during a blessed time of a blessed month to share in the experience of a blessed adventure (there was also a presentation where a group of those who attended had travelled to make pilgrimage to Mecca). Tears formed but I managed to wipe them away before people noticed.
A scene that will stay with me for life was a child no more than 5 signing to both her parents who were deaf, as beautiful but not as scary as when I saw my nephew for the first time.
I just felt moved to share with people, if anyone was interested..I hope it allows people to reflect on the blessing they have daily.
🙂
He said it was for his iphone, and I asked again but why? he said its so he can listen to music. For most of us that's not strange or abnormal at all, for me though I had to double check
'Music? what music?' my brother has been deaf since for the past 25 odd years but there he was trying to listen to music..
About fifteen years ago he had a cochlear implant fitted to help him hear, the first implant was a big problem for him as it gave him headaches whenever he turned it on and he ended up not using it much at all, later on he was given a second device that helped him to understand sounds and helped him improve his speech. This, his third device has helped him even more and he sound recognition has improved year on year. He can now hear sounds and words but can't tell what people are saying, he will have to learn this all over again.
As we sat in the car, he hooked up his iphone to the car speakers, we sat and listened to Bob Marley. 'someone is singing now' and 'thats a saxaphone' ' sounds like drums' every now and again he would comment on what he could hear. He goes for tests yearly at a hospital in London, last year his test results were 17% this year they were 42%, he spoke to someone last year who said they can now conversate with people on the phone after four years of using the implant.
As some might be aware its the holy month of Ramadhan for Muslims, a month where between the dawn and sunset muslims do not eat or drink amongst other things they abstain from during the hours of daylight. In the winter months this is no biggie, in the summer months when the set beings to rise at 3am and doesnt set until 9pm its slighter tougher on the body.
Anyway the opening of the fast or the iftar is a blessed time, and generally a time where Muslims will gather together and break bread (and kebabs/somosas/rice etc). Me and my brother had travelled to East London to meet a group of deaf muslims to open the iftar with them. It was a surreal experience for me and a chance for me to spend a few hours in my brothers shoes. People all around me furiously moving their hands around I knew they were communicating with each other but really had no idea what was going on with most of it. There were children and old people, a real family atmosphere lots of talking but very little sounds.
It was a beautiful experience though, I'm a bit of a wimp and am easily moved to tears this was no different. For me just the fact these people had gathered during a blessed time of a blessed month to share in the experience of a blessed adventure (there was also a presentation where a group of those who attended had travelled to make pilgrimage to Mecca). Tears formed but I managed to wipe them away before people noticed.
A scene that will stay with me for life was a child no more than 5 signing to both her parents who were deaf, as beautiful but not as scary as when I saw my nephew for the first time.
I just felt moved to share with people, if anyone was interested..I hope it allows people to reflect on the blessing they have daily.
🙂
