Deaf Child from Russia Needs a Loving Home

Posted on April 21st, 2010 by DeafMom

There’s a little boy in Russia who is deaf and needs a loving home.  Read this email that I received from Elizabeth Gastelum, an attorney from Illinois:

My husband and I adopted our kids from Russia last fall (both with hearing loss).  We thought they were the only kids there with a hearing loss, but once we arrived we realized that another little boy in the same group as our daughter also has a hearing loss.  He is 5 years old and Buryat (Russian, but of Mongolian descent).  He is a sweetheart!  Aside from hearing loss he has a form of CP (although this did not seem to be severe as he can dress and feed himself, and walk etc.)  To make a long story short, I am trying to get the word out about this little boy to anyone that is thinking of adoption.

He is in Ulan-Ude, Russia.  The adoption agency is LSS of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. This adoption agency has the ability to handle Russian adoptions without going through another adoption agency with the required Russian permission.

I realize that the recent media reports have seemed to indicate that Russia is or will be closing their adoptions with the United States, but reports that I have from professionals there and working with this program indicate that this will not be the case.  He is five years old now and I believe he will be six years old in October.  I am not for certain, but if it is the same scenario as it was with our two kids, there is a long waiting list for the school for the deaf there and more than likely he will be sent to a facility when he is six years old (unless there is a family in the process of adoption) that is for multiple handicaps (children and adults) and the majority are bedridden.  He does not belong there. But this is a part of the world where there are few other options.  I am willing to speak with any family interested, candidly, on what it has been like for us to have adopted two children from the same orphanage.

If you are willing to open your heart and your home to this child, please email me at:  karen@karenputz.com and I will connect you with Elizabeth.

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Tags: Raising Deaf/HH Kids // 17 Comments »

On Being Deaf

Posted on April 17th, 2010 by DeafMom

Someone asked me recently, “Do you wish you could hear?”

I had to stop and ponder that one. 

If you asked me that question when I was nineteen, shortly after I became deaf from a fall while barefooting, I would have said, “Hell, yes.”  No pause.  No reflection there.  The answer would have been simple: give me full-fledged hearing and I will dance a jig until the end of time.

I was born with hearing in the normal range.  I can remember my Dad telling me stories about a dog named Scamp.  My Dad worked double shifts, so I would crawl into bed when he arrived home and lie there while he told me stories.  I was about five or six when the warning signs began showing– I’d misunderstand a sentence or would ask him to repeat the words.  I grew up hard of hearing and had developed lipreading skills since I was young — I was firmly entrenched in the “hearing” world and knew no sign language. 

The last shred of what I could hear without hearing aids was gone the moment I climbed into the boat after cartwheeling on the water.  I didn’t realize it that day– I just figured I had water in my ears and it would subside.  It wasn’t until the day that I left for college that I realized that “being deaf” was here to stay.   I spent my college nights lying there in the dark and…  crying.  Grief was a heavy cloak that wrapped around me in the darkness.  I cursed the piece of electronic equipment that I stuffed into my ear each day which did nothing more than bring environmental sounds to life and made lipreading a tad easier.  I had already spent most of my life lipreading, but I could at least hear the sounds around me and turn when spoken to without the hearing aid.  After that fall, there was nothing but silence without hearing aids.  A blessing at night, indeed, when the roar of tinnitus eventually stopped.  But it wasn’t a real blessing until I was deep into the journey.

College life was filled with deaf and hard of hearing friends; some who had arrived into the Deaf Community like me– with no knowledge of American Sign Language.  I spent my days learning to lipread the interpreters and match their lip movements to their rapid hand movements.  I took several ASL classes and slowly incorporated the language into everyday life.  Before I knew it, life had become a happy journey down this new road.

And then one day, I realized that I no longer grieved. Instead, I celebrated.  There was much to enjoy from this new life path– an amazing language, a wonderful community and a blessed acceptance that a deaf life was indeed full and beautiful.

So, you can see why today, I pause and ponder the answer to the question, “Do you wish you could hear?”

The answer is a complicated one.  On one hand, yes.  I close my eyes and imagine being able to hear what others are saying when I hang out in groups.  I imagine the sweet bliss of being able to go anywhere, anytime and have access to the audio jungle out there.  But there is the sweet bliss of being content with how my life has unfolded on this journey; because you see, becoming deaf didn’t rob me of life, instead, it gave me a whole, new, beautiful life.

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Tags: Inspirational Stuff // 20 Comments »

Looking Forward to the Best Years of Life Ahead

Posted on April 11th, 2010 by DeafMom

Today’s post is a simple one.  I’m sending you over to Chicago Moms Blog to read why I think the best years of life are still ahead:

ChicagoMomsBlog: The Best Years of Life Are Still Ahead

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Tags: Inspirational Stuff, People You Should Know // Add Comment »

Barefooting– Accomplished!

Posted on March 31st, 2010 by DeafMom

Monday, March 29– definitely a fun day that I’ll always remember.  But before I explain, let me back up a bit here.

Last fall, the hubby sent me a link to the TODAY show featuring Judy Myers, a 66-year-old gal who took up barefooting on a dare at the age of 53.   This was not long after my 44th birthday when I was feeling a little down and discouraged.  As I watched the video, I started feeling that old excitement about barefooting, a feeling that I had long ago given up on.  It had been ten years or so since the last time I barefooted.  Heck, if a 53 year old gal could take up barefooting for the first time and compete at the age of 66, why couldn’t I get back on my feet in the water again?

I got in touch with Judy and before I knew it, the plans were falling into place.  The hubby and I arranged a spring break vacation and I set up plans to join Judy at the World Barefoot Center run by Keith St. Onge and David Small in Winter Haven.

I was pretty excited when I arrived and right off the bat, I spotted Judy.  What a great gal, I felt as if I had known her for years.  Keith welcomed me with a big smile and then introduced me to the three other skiers, Rick Meskers and his son Brody and another kid, ten-year-old Devin.  Rick is a show skier up in Wisconsin and nine-year-old Brody is a competitive skier who has won the Nationals three years in a row and going for his fourth this summer.

Brody and Devin went first– I was in awe of what these kids could do at their young age.  Rick went next, and he worked on a backwards deep water start and after about his fourth start, he was nailing it.  Judy practiced some tumble turns– take a look:

And then it was my turn.  Gulp.  Keith and I had gone over some pointers on the dock and I was reminding myself of those tips as I slipped into the water.  I had never used a boom before and the grip felt thick.  I wrapped my legs on the cable and looked at Keith and said, “Ready.”

And 25 years after becoming deaf from barefooting, there I was barefooting again.  And it felt so good!

More on Judy Myers:  Judy Myers Inspires Deaf Mom

Brody Meskers in the news: Meskers Joins World Barefoot Center Team

More on barefooting and why The Best Years of Life are Still Ahead

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Tags: It's All About Me // 16 Comments »

We are the World– in American Sign Language

Posted on March 20th, 2010 by DeafMom

In early February, Jane Holtz and I dropped off our two Laurens at the Desales Family Center in Michigan so they could participate in a D-Pan weekend camp.  While Jane and I stayed in our pajamas all weekend and read books, our girls were having fun with Sean Forbes and a group of fellow campers.  They produced two videos, “We are the World” (below) and “Smile,” (coming soon) in a tribute to Michael Jackson and in recognition of the Haiti earthquake.

Enjoy!

Photos from the weekend:

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Tags: Inspirational Stuff // 9 Comments »

Need Viagra? Insurance Will Cover It–Not Hearing Aids

Posted on March 14th, 2010 by DeafMom

Dear Illinois Senators,

We’ve got a bill up for consideration, S. B. 2516, and I hope you’ll pass it.  You see, there are five generations  of folks in my family who wear hearing aids.  Every time we need new hearing aids, we need a doctor’s prescription to order them.  Every time we inquire about insurance coverage for our new pieces of ear technology, we’re told, “Sorry, insurance companies rarely cover hearing aids.”

It is time to change that.

From the research I’ve done, it appears that it would cost anywhere from a few cents to a few dollars to provide coverage for hearing aids in Illinois.  There really shouldn’t be any opposition from insurance companies– after all, hearing aids have to be medically prescribed and they certainly aren’t cosmetic devices as they’re sometimes described.

You see, without hearing aids, I literally cannot enjoy any music, hear the doorbell or turn at the sound of my kid’s voices.  I can’t hear a single thing without my hearing aids.

Senators, think about the Illinois residents who have been prescribed hearing aids but who are facing the uphill battle of no insurance coverage for these medical devices.  You can change that for Illinois residents.  You can make history in Illinois and say, “Yes, the time is now to provide insurance coverage for hearing aids for Illinois residents of all ages.”

I will thank you.  My family will thank you.  The deaf and hard of hearing residents and their families of Illinois will thank you.

Read on for more:

Insurance Companies Cover Viagra, But Not Hearing Aids

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Tags: Uncategorized // 4 Comments »

Join the Z-Team at the Chicago Z-Fest!

Posted on March 10th, 2010 by DeafMom

It’s been a busy year for the Z-Team– we’ve launched a new Z videophone: the Z4! Come and join the Z-Team at the Chicago Z-Fest on Saturday, March 20th from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Hinsdale South Cafeteria  at 7401 S Clarendon Hills Rd, Darien IL.  Pizza and pop will be provided. You’ll have a chance to meet folks from the Z-Team and learn about the four different videophones that Z provides.

You can RSVP on the Zvrs Facebook page: Chicago Z-Fest

And guess what, we’ve got some new services coming up– join us to find out what they are!

Some photos from our visit with the folks from St. Louis Deaf Professional Happy Hour:

See you at the Z-Fest!

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Tags: CSDVRS // Add Comment »

Honey, Can You Troubleshoot the Computer?

Posted on February 28th, 2010 by DeafMom

“Son, there’s something wrong with the computer. Can you troubleshoot and figure out what’s wrong?”

“Troubleshoot? Sure, Mom, no problem.”

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Tags: I Can Take Pictures! // 4 Comments »

Are You Ready to Leap?

Posted on February 14th, 2010 by DeafMom

Last week, I hit the library in search of some books for a weekend getaway.  Jane and I dropped off our daughters at DeSales Center in Michigan for a workshop with Sean Forbes from D-Pan and we planned to hang at the hotel and do nothing but read all weekend.  While at the library, my eyes caught a title in the “Hot” books section: The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great. 

Hmmm, I figured, can’t hurt to know how to go from good to great where I’m at now.

I spent Friday night wading through emails, Twittering time away, chatting with folks on the Z4 and watching the Comedy Channel.  “Ahhh, this is so nice,” I said to Jane.  ”No one to interrupt me, no dishes to wash and a whole bed to myself. I could get used to this.”  Jane just smiled– she was deep into a Harry Potter book.

Saturday morning found me submerged in the bathtub and I dove into ” The Leap.”  Written by Rick Smith, he describes it best in this paragraph:

The Leap is a guide to personal evolution.  It’s a ”good to great” manual for individuals, a book about aligning passions and skills, and about the amazing energy that gets released when we find our personal “sweet spot.”  All of us have a special place on the spectrum where the best of our ability intersects with what most inspires us.  Too few of us ever find that spot or even know it’s there. But it is there, and it’s magic.  This book will point you to it.

And sure enough, it did.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  Back in the bathtub, I dove into the first chapter where Rick describes a climb to success that ended up with him riding down the elevator after being let go by his company.  He had written a best-selling book, The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers: The Guide for Achieving Success and Satisfaction and all of a sudden, he was facing the fact that his career had suddenly ended.

Rick came up with the idea of putting together a company that would network the top well-known, highly respected executives in the world.  He named his networking group/company World50.  He faced opposition right from the beginning, with nay-sayers shooting down his idea left and right.

His first customer turned out to be Carl Gustin.  Suddenly, I sat up in the bathtub and read on with even more interest.  Carl Gustin was the former Chief Marketing Officer for Kodak and Apple.  I had met Carl Gustin last summer in Las Vegas when he came to the Zvrs Team Week and gave a presentation.  He also sat through our each of our team presentations where we shared our marketing ideas. I could see that he was a little nervous at first, after all, it was his first opporunity to spend a day surrounded by deaf and hard of hearing folks with all the hands zipping through the air.  By the end of the day, Carl was laughing along with us.  ”This company reminds me of Apple in the early days,” he told us at the end of the day.  “You guys have a lot of passion.”   Carl joined us all for dinner and I had the opportunity to chat with him and ask questions.  Soon after, he joined the board of Zvrs and has been with us ever since.

After I finished the book, I took the “What’s Your Primary Color” analysis over at www.theleap.com.  I found myself smack dab in the middle of the spectrum, a gray-blue color:

The book is filled with questions to explore– I’m saving those for later in the week when I can focus more on that.  I have some ideas of how I want to go from good to great this year, but I also learned that my work with Zvrs is right where I want to be– my passion and my talents are aligned with where I want to go.

Now all I gotta do is…

Leap.

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Tags: Inspirational Stuff // 1 Comment »

Come and Join Me at Mom’s Night Inn

Posted on January 28th, 2010 by DeafMom

It’s that time of the year again, the weekend where moms of deaf and hard of hearing kids kick back together!  Registration is already half full, so act quickly to join in on this special weekend!

Illinois Hands & Voices presents:

Mom’s Night Inn

Saturday, February 20th and Sunday, February 21st
(an overnight retreat!)

Holiday Inn Select Naperville
1801 Naper Boulevard
Naperville, Il 60563
(630) 505-4900

Event begins at 1 p.m. on Saturday, February 20th
and ends at Noon, Sunday, February 21st

“Making Connections”

  • Educational
  • Technology
  • Family
  • Community

Dinner provided: Snacks, crafts, massage and so much more!
Sunday, February 21st; Will include a breakfast buffet and panel of deaf and hard of hearing adults sharing their life and work experience.

Remarks from last year’s participants at Mom’s Night Inn:

“It was great having time to relax and getting to know the Mom’s”

“I liked the small group activity; it was a good way to meet new people.”

“Meeting other parents, having an idea of what to expect and look forward to was my favorite part.”

“Now I know what to fight for.”

“Loved meeting the deaf and hard of hearing panel, their stories were inspiring.”

We hope you can join us, space is limited so register soon!

To register: www.ilhandsandvoices.org

Photos from past Mom’s Night Inn:

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Tags: Raising Deaf/HH Kids // 4 Comments »

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