An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Implant Story

Mattia Hears for the First Time
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear After a ten month hearing aid trial period that did not produce results, two year old Mattia was awakened from his nap...by sound.Subscribe to An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Implant Story
Fri, Aug 27 2010

The Promised Land
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear We took the MARC train from Baltimore to Union Station and hopped the Gallaudet shuttle. The shuttle was Jordan's first introduction to ASL. He saw everyone on the shuttle signing, and there was silence.He looked at me and said, "Does everyone talk like this?" He made some gesture.I said, "Yes, but the signs are words and that's communication. They're deaf just ...
Thu, Aug 12 2010

Jordan, Gallaudet and I...Tomorrow
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear *Smile*Anything in particular we should see??SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!Subscribe to An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Implant Story
Tue, Aug 10 2010

"Music isn't in the Ears...It's in the Soul"
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Deaf Rapper Sean Forbes...check it out!Click here to read the article appearing in the Baltimore Sun Magazine Parade:July 18, 2010 Finding His Beat by Mitch Albom Subscribe to An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Implant Story
Mon, Jul 19 2010

Family
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Last Friday, I went to Pisa to meet with a family interested in the cochlear implant. I met the mom, dad and baby Tommaso. Tommaso was diagnosed just like Jordan when his pediatrician performed a routine ring-the-bell-behind-the-ear type test and then the doubts and tests ensued. Only every time the family took Tommaso to have his hearing tested, the people behind the...
Tue, Jul 13 2010

Dreaming Jerusalem...
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I received this email from a parent/psychologist in Jerusalem 10 days before receiving a communication that the Italian Pediatric Federation (I collaborate with) has struck up an agreement with the Israeli Ambulatory Pediatric Associations. I'm trying to get a collaboration going, but I have no idea regarding the actual newborn hearing screening situation in Israel.....
Tue, Jul 06 2010

How Ya Like Dem APPLE(S)?
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear The great debate has ensued...are they hearing aids or cochlear implant processors?My response- show it to your kid and let him/her decide.Sometimes, ambiguous is good.And in the end...Deaf is Deaf.Jordan's response: "They always show all different kinds of people in these advertisements- Black, White, different ethnicities and now Deaf."Yes..and now Deaf.Kudos to APP...
Tue, Jun 29 2010

New (C) I Phone Commercial- Directed by Sam Mendes
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I'll be showing this one to Jordan!!!!Subscribe to An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Implant Story
Tue, Jun 29 2010

AB 2072...I Kind of Like It
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I can't decide whether I created a ruckus or whether it was already there unnecessarily...could someone please tell me what is wrong with this? I think it's pretty remarkable if you ask me...(thanks for the link:-)) We're lightyears away from anything like this in Italy..THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:SECTION1. Section 124121 is added to the...
Mon, Jun 28 2010

Damn Proud!
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear First of all, thank you so, so much to everyone who left comments about AB 2072. I appreciate that whenever I request information there is someone ready to assist, and then...I become informed. So important. I left the comment that I still have to visit the links provided, because...........................JORDAN HAD HIS MIDDLE SCHOOL EXAM TODAY AND WE HAVE BEEN STUDY...
Mon, Jun 21 2010

Deaf Read(ers)...Please Clue Me In (Lost in Tuscany)
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I have always advocated access to information, but the document I read (which was sent to me by an anonymous source) regarding AB 2072 uses radical wording that does not say objectivity to me. I read that bloggers have been posting regarding this bill since April...and I honestly have no idea what to make of it- could someone please inform me?Another blogger, Candy wr...
Fri, Jun 18 2010

Adult Hearing Screening: The Future is Now
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Here I am taking my first adult hearing screening exam with Prof. Alexandru Pascu of Romania in a private screening (lol) at the NHS conference:I present you with The SUN Test: Speech Understanding in Noise- A new test for screening hearing ability in adults.What?Screening HEARING ABILITY, not a test that focuses on what a person is lacking in terms of hearing, but wh...
Wed, Jun 16 2010

YOU...are the Surgeon, BUT I am the Mother
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear There before me...a panel of seven cochlear implant surgeons from France, England, Germany and Italy, Gwen Carr, PhD and Dr. Giorgio Lillo from Italy, as well. The panel was led by Dr. Gerry O'Donoghue also known as the Godfather. I sat next to the Empress during the discussion. I have to say the discussion was extremely interesting, especially the opportunity to hear...
Mon, Jun 14 2010

Globally Deaf- Same Road, Different Country
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear The list of countries present at the NHS 2010: This is my poster of the Italian-GPOD collaboration, unfortunately I lost the picture of the GPOD position paper poster:With Special Thanks to:ITALYProf. Ferdinando Grandori, Director of the CNR Istituto di Ingegneria Biomedica (National Research Council – Institute of Biomedical Engineering)Dr. Giuseppe Mele, FIMP Presid...
Sat, Jun 12 2010

In Jordan's World...
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear This morning my phone rang- it was the Director of Jordan's new high school specializing in graphic art and advertising. He said, "Good morning, I'm calling to speak to you because your son has a disability, and while there will be a meeting organized in the near future, I just wanted to touch base to ask you a couple of questions."*And here we go again*We went throug...
Mon, May 31 2010

The Possibilities...
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I have this pair of shiny patent leather black boots with a very minor heel, practically non-existent. About a three months ago, I was wearing these boots and walking with Jordan to the doctor's office. We were rushing, and at a certain point I must have hit a bump in the hazzardous pavement, because the boot shot out and with it my ankle. Jordan laughed as I screamed...
Sat, May 29 2010

And the Winner is...JORDAN!
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear The contest was entitled: "Different Yet the Same" and for the second year in a row, Jordan participated. Last year he won honorable mention for his essay, but this year, he won a prize of 167 euros for this drawing:His class came to the award ceremony, and he along with two other classmates went to receive their prize before the jury and in front of a crowd of 200. T...
Thu, May 27 2010

Dear Disney...(Thank you to the Families)
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear We are part of an international Cochlear Implant Community of families who every single day work on raising our kids' voices, and in doing so, we have learned the importance of raising our own collective voice.The problem is that we are so good at what we do and our kids are so amazing, that there comes a time when they begin raising their voices.*Smile*Why Cal Ripken...
Fri, May 21 2010

DISNEY IS READING RALLY CAPS: PLEASE COMMENT
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Ok, breathe in - breathe out. My dad and I wrote Rally Caps, so that deaf children with cochlear implants could find themselves in literature, finally. And...so that hearing children could meet our children and focus on their strengths, strengths earned and learned through hours and hours of speech therapy, sacrifice and determination.I have been writing this blog for...
Tue, May 18 2010

Coming Soon...NHS 2010!! Preparations Underway:-D
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear NHS 2010 is coming soon...things are crazy here in Jordan and Sofia's house.My life is becoming an acronym.Currently working on this:Global Coalition of Parents of Deaf/Hard of Hearing Children (GPOD)Position Statement and Recommendations for Family Support in the Developmentof Newborn Hearing Screening Systems (NHS)/Early Hearing Detection andIntervention Systems (EH...
Sat, May 15 2010

The Apple Never Picked
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Sometimes life gives us a break when we least expect it, sometimes, we realize we desperately needed it. It's a contradiction, we don't want the limbo, but we need it to absorb and reflect. It is so damn difficult to be a woman with principles in a world full of shit. I am encountering levels. Levels set limits and as much as I was against limits, considering them bou...
Wed, Apr 21 2010

Fruit
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear First of all if you don't see your comment immediately, know that I've been forced to moderate comments due to overload of pornographical content- 53 in twelve hours. Unacceptable and disgusting. Please forgive the time delay, or delay in response- I see your comments, but time is seriously lacking in this moment.I'm living a period of work explosion. After two years ...
Mon, Apr 19 2010

Pizza and Fries
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Four days ago I sat next to an Empress. I spoke to her about newborn hearing screening, deafness, cochlear implants, doctors, Jordan and separation in five minutes. She was an elegant woman, blonde hair, ice-blue eyes, delicate ankles, red suit, knee-length skirt-amazing legs. One book of one thousand pages would not cover her life, her contribution to the field of co...
Tue, Apr 13 2010

Paving that Bumpy Road...
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I just received a letter from the parent of three children whose son was given a result of refer for the newborn hearing screening test. He was then sent to a level two hospital which performed the exam again and once again, refer. He has been sent to Pisa, a level three hospital, where he will have the ABR. Obviously the father is worried, he found my Italian blog an...
Mon, Apr 05 2010

Boys Will Be Boys
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear The other day I was sitting in the lobby waiting for a friend, when a mother walked in with her son. The mother had the bleach-blonde-grandma-beauty-parlor look, rare for Italy and was wearing faded cotton sweats. She had the I-have-to-put-my-change-away-fast desperate look in her eyes and her son...evil. As the mother spoke to the secretary the little boy began to cl...
Fri, Apr 02 2010

The Countess and I
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear A woman contacted me about three weeks ago asking me for information about the cochlear implant. She explained to me that her forty year old son contracted meningitis on January 1st, was in a coma for a period of time and was waiting to have his toes amputated as a result. He was left profoundly deaf. I talked to her about Jordan and gave her support. She knew much of...
Mon, Mar 22 2010

LOST
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Ok. I'm on a regional train FINALLY heading home after one of the strangest days ever.I had the second of ten Pediatric Courses, and right after I read the letter written by the mom who complains that pediatricians don't listen to parents when we express our concerns, a pediatrician took the microphone and started yelling at me...ME!!!!! Literally yelling things like ...
Mon, Mar 08 2010

Stereo-Typically Deaf
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear A facebook group with a main interest in disability posted a video in Italian- one of those feel-good videos where everyone regardless of disability or non-disability lives in peace, harmony and love and you get that gushy, mushy feeling inside...only no, I had a little bit of a problem with one of the lines.You see, they portrayed people in wheelchairs, blind and yes...
Fri, Feb 26 2010

"NEVERMIND"
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I'm still recovering.Yesterday was a very long day, and I think I'm kind of still analyzing all of it in my exhausted brain.First of all, the fact that the Tuscan Pediatricians committed to including the parental perspective in a two day course on newborn hearing screening is mindblowing to me and they gave me three hours- when does that happen in Italy? One course do...
Tue, Feb 16 2010

Three Hours with Pediatricians: Request for Resources
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I was thankful for five minutes with seven hundred pediatricians. Tuscany has given me three hours...my own three hours to use as I choose to teach 500 pediatricians the parental perspective on newborn hearing screening and deafness. I have created a program of what I want to share, but since you've been with me throughout this entire two year long journey and we've d...
Thu, Feb 04 2010

Life's Lessons Learned from Jordan
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I remember when my American pediatrician did not listen to us when we expressed our concerns that Jordan was Deaf.I remember learning of his diagnosis in a language that was not my own and I remember being made to feel ignorant because I did not understand the language.I remember having to repeat a word at least and I am not kidding, 100 times before it would ev...
Wed, Jan 20 2010

Haiti...
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Yesterday we had a BYOB: Bring your own Barbie party for Sofia Madyson's seventh birthday. And a good time was had by all...singing, dancing and dressing up those Barbie dolls.Two days ago I assisted another family in Pisa. I observed another series of testing to determine whether a twenty-two year old Deaf University student is a potential cochlear implant candidate....
Sun, Jan 17 2010

Love Conquers All
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I would like to be funny, cute, adorable, spunky, witty, clever and sexy right now, but I'm not. I'm currently working on a Masters in Shitology. I have no study group, I'm flying solo, but I am certainly deeply in the subject matter at hand.The Italian school system is totally different than the American one, and since this is Jordan's last year of middle school, he ...
Wed, Jan 13 2010

The Real Frog Prince...
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Posted by a facebook friend, Laura...A group of frogs were hopping contentedly through the woods, going about their froggy business, when two of them fell into a deep pit. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, the rest of the dismayed group agreed that it was hopeless and ...
Tue, Jan 12 2010

Cracker Jacks
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I smiled at a man.I had a conversation with this man for twenty-five minutes.He spoke for twenty of the twenty-five minutes and told me that if he were to give me a Native American name it would be "Heart that Smiles".He told me I was the type of person who smiles even when suffering, and he asked me which of my parents passed down that trait to me. I said, "My Grandf...
Sun, Jan 03 2010

Snowing Wishes
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Every single day we make requests of our kids that go above and beyond that of other hearing children. We ask them to take responsibility for their disability. Society asks them to take responsibility for their disability and we do the best we can to assist and protect them. We try to give them the tools necessary to live the best life possible. We, as parents, teach ...
Sat, Jan 02 2010

Born Deaf for a Reason
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear One week after Jordan was diagnosed as being profoundly Deaf, I dreamt of him asking me for three pieces of pizza. I never doubted he would speak. I just never imagined that thirteen years later he would speak to the mother of a newly diagnosed Deaf child.During the holiday pep talk I had with my friend the other day, she asked me the question, "Does Jordan real...
Fri, Dec 11 2009

Time for a Change: Paula's New Journey Starts Now
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I met Paula on the listserves and have loved her ever since. Her long arm reaches out to families in need and stretches overseas at least a couple of times a month to smack me back into shape. Her encouraging words, style, way of asserting herself and holding her ground have inspired me and cracked me up. Everything she does has a purpose, meaning and spirit...rare qu...
Tue, Dec 08 2009

Old
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I spoke before speech therapists and child psychiatrists at the two day Cochlear Implant Conference in Pisa, Friday and Saturday, and my favorite line- in honor of Naomi- was "A mom should be allowed to be a Mom and an ice-cream cone...an ice-cream cone!" - Not just teaching moments 24-exhausting-7. Whenever I have to speak, I get extremely nervous and have this emoti...
Sun, Nov 15 2009

Oxygen, Please
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Yesterday I stopped breathing at least five times..and managed to recover. Support comes at the most unexpected times from the most unexpected places. I asked for help, resources...and I received it all - in two days. Miraculous and beautiful. I have had the extreme pleasure and fortune to have been working with five exceptional women passionately involved in parental...
Tue, Nov 10 2009

Hear the World Expedition
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear A mom from the CI Circle just posted this information that you may find useful:Call of the Wild: Amazon Adventure 2010, PeruIntroducing Hear the World Expeditions Phonak's Hear the World and Global Explorers have launched the first-ever Hear the World Expedition, an adventure journey of a lifetime scheduled for July 2010 for hearing-impaired students aged 17-22. ...
Mon, Nov 09 2009

Smokin'!
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Hot off the press!!!NHS 2010 - Beyond Newborn Hearing Screening: Infant and Childhood Hearing in Science and Clinical PracticeVilla Erba Congress Center, Cernobbio, ItalyJune 8 10, 2010(I'm hoping to be in a better hotel this time and not one with a plastic shower box in my room and a turkish toilet down the hall- not that it matters- I'm there!) *Italy's finest ...
Thu, Nov 05 2009

World Peace...Funny
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear How can people expect there to be World Peace when there is war within families? And families love each other. Hmm. perhaps the USA should get along with Afghanistan.In my house there is no peace.I have six kids running around at all times. Sibling rivalry. Video games blasting and a dog and a cat who will never get along.Me, myself and I? Peace...funny. Between screa...
Wed, Oct 28 2009

Strength in Weakness
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear It never fails that people smash your face in the mud when you are at your weakest moment. Sometimes, it's the people that you care about the most who do this and they do it the best because they aim straight for those areas where they think they can destroy. And sometimes they do. Sometimes for a brief moment they leave you naked blowing in the chilled air. When you ...
Mon, Oct 19 2009

Passion
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear I have passion for my kids and my job...but there's a void in other departments. I don't really notice those departments right now, but I guess that's normal. Maybe there are passages that we must go through where we fulfill ourselves...ourselves. Interesting concept.Subscribe to An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Implant Story
Fri, Oct 16 2009

Walk a Kilometer in My Shoes
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear When two people have shared shoes, all it takes is a glance and there is a common understanding. When two people have rolled up the same sleeves, pulled at the earth with raw hands and listened to the same music on the ipod, there is synchronicity.During the meeting with the regional representatives, I met a pediatrician, mother of twins both implanted at two years of...
Wed, Oct 07 2009

Mountain-Climbing
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear *BEFORE*The past four days spent with Italian pediatricians have been an eye-opening experience...for them and for me. Thursday morning my pediatrician and I had a meeting with fifteen Italian regional representatives, who reported the Newborn Hearing Screening situation region per region. Dramatic. Each and every pediatrician contributed, expressed a desire to become...
Sat, Oct 03 2009

Rich
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Bedtime. Del Dottore house...Sofia- Mamma, tell me a story...Mamma- Once upon a time, there was a really curly little girl who was so beautiful that when she walked outside the sun hid behind the clouds and with such a generous heart that the flowers bowed their heads when she walked by. Then, one day, that little curly-haired girl was feeling blue. So, when she walke...
Tue, Sep 29 2009

Through Your Eyes...
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear Quite possibly the heaviest material I've ever seen. I will comment on this video from a psychological perspective and not in regard to the issue of the "cochlear implant fix"...we've already over-debated the subject. The video gave me a profound sensitivity check in regard to how my blog may be viewed and perceived by members of the Deaf Community. I write to inform ...
Fri, Sep 25 2009

Cooked!
An American Mom in Tuscany: Jordan's Cochlear *Smile*My eyeballs are falling out of my head from smashing my face in the computer screen the past four days. I can't sleep because I keep going over things in my brain- every once in a while I laugh at myself..totally normal.Today, Jordan came home from school and told me there's a boy bullying him...the same pain in the ass who has trouble in school and acts like a...
Wed, Sep 23 2009