More inspiration!

When U.S. Olympic diver Chris Colwill talks on the phone, he hears just fine. When he's hanging out with friends or teammates away from the pool, there are rarely communication problems. But when he steps to the 3-meter springboard, where he hopes to land his first Olympic medal in London, the game changes.
Colwill was born with 60 percent hearing loss. When he dives, he can't wear the hearing aids that allow him to hear at an 85-90 percent level. When the whistle blows announcing the next dive, Colwill doesn't hear it.
Read more here

This is a video of a deaf man who succeeded at his dream of becoming a firefighter.  I love these inspirations!

Inspire to be a doctor

Here is a story of a hearing impaired girl about to graduate from medical school.  She has a cochlear implant and has worked hard to complete her training.

Here is a sample from the article:
Hajjar will graduate this week from the University of Calgary’s School of Medicine, thanks to support from her classmates, staff in the department of medicine, and mostly her unfailing discipline, work ethic and relentless drive to become a doctor.
Humbly, she says much of it comes from the rewards of helping others.
“It still amazes me how grateful my patients are. And working with them, knowing I can help them, it really means a lot to me. That is what drives me.”
Find the article here.
Maybe Brooke will become a doctor!  :)

Inspirtation to deaf children

I saw this article this morning and found the story so inspiring! Here is a little of the story:

BEING born deaf has never stood in the way of Ipswich woman Ceilidh O'Sullivan's ambition.
The Peak Crossing 22-year-old, who completely lost her hearing as a teenager - was a successful BMX rider before she embarked on a mission to help deaf kids in Africa.

After receiving a life changing cochlea implant and learning to listen and speak again, Ms O'Sullivan joined the Boanerges Deaf Initiative and has since taken a key role in establishing schools specifically for deaf kids in the central African country of Uganda.

She has become the Australian representative of the not-for-profit organisation, which looks after the needs of 35 hearing impaired children in the capital, Kampala, plus another 90 children in the north of the country, and about 40 in the east.

"Deaf children are seen as a curse in Uganda - being deaf is viewed as a disease," Ms O'Sullivan said.

"I felt I had to go there to teach them that deafness is OK and it is not a sickness."

I would LOVE to compile a collection of inspirational stories of deaf people who change the world! I think it would be great for Brooke to read one day!

Go here for the entire story