I think that I speak for a lot of people that 2020 was an incredibly challenging year, more so for those of us with disabilities. As a deaf person being taken to the ER twelve times in a single year, I learned very quickly that hospitals are not very accommodating to patients like me since I rely on lip-reading, observing facial expressions and body language. Due to COVID, that changed the way I could understand the paramedics and medical staff since masks covered their faces and muffled thei...

Going to the hospital this week for my spinal injections was a nightmare for someone like me with a profound hearing loss during the COVID crisis. Everywhere I looked, everyone was wearing a mask. This is the worst thing to do since I have absolutely no idea what is being said. I rely on lip reading as much as possible and need to see facial expressions. Fortunately, the staff that I deal with on a regular basis know me very well and were very understanding about my situation. They knew I was...

Advocacy. I cannot stress how important this word is to me. I’ve been an advocate since I was six years old,  I’m almost fifty and that’s a long time to stand up for my rights. It shouldn’t have to be this hard to obtain equal rights like everyone else. I’m in constant warrior mode, every single day. And It’s freaking exhausting. 

Some days, it’s dealing with a stubborn or ignorant receptionist at a doctor’s office who refuses to email or text my appointments even though th...

I have to admit that I’ve been seeing a prominent theme lately which I find interesting. It keeps popping up in so many unexpected ways, through music, books, tv shows and even Instagram! Last week has been all about loving ourselves, this time it’s showing love, kindness and respect to others. I wholeheartedly agree with that and already do it on a daily basis. I’m constantly showering people I meet with compliments whether it’s face to face, through Facebook or Instagram. I...

I’m sitting on the rooftop on a hot summer day, battling a bad cold and reading a new book by the Fab Five called “Queer Eye - Love Yourself”. Funnily enough, I've been seeing a lot of endorsement about loving ourselves which is a big sign for me since it’s also in many of BTS’s songs and videos. That’s saying something.

If you get a chance to peruse the book, grab it! It’s a worthwhile read with lots of fabulous advice and features an introspective look into the live...

One of my favourite bands, BTS, just released a phenomenal new song entitled “Lights” and it could not have come at a better time. 

After ending up in the ER, again, I relied on listening to BTS as a distraction from the severe pain I was in. I couldn’t have gotten through that night without the support of my dojo family. They were by my side through the entire ordeal and that gave me the strength to pull through it. 

I’ll admit that it took me longer than usual to recover...

Recently, someone commented how much I’ve changed, that I seem to be more grounded. They are right. After an immensely difficult couple of months due to my severe chronic pain and physical illness, I finally emerged as a stronger person. 

Normally, I face a lot of obstacles every day from my profound hearing loss but having being diagnosed with five herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, spondylolysis, inactive C6 radiculopathy and Trigeminal Neuralgia, it tested my faith to the ext...

I recently saw this quote, “Believe that life is worth living” by William James and it immediately resonated with me. After a disastrous two months of being extremely ill, enduring severe spinal pain and multiple visits to the ER, that horrible sense of despair is finally fading away. 

There were moments when I nearly succumbed to the emotional isolation and melancholy of being in so much distress. I just wanted to give up. It was simply too much for me to take anymore. 

Not only wa...

I recently came across this phrase by Gabrielle Bernstein "We're all in this together" and thought it was the right fit for today. It certainly feels true. In one of her chapters, she was discussing the need for us to let go of the anger and resentment from our past, especially from our childhood. I agree and this is exactly what I'm working on these days, learning to let go of situations that I have no control over. They are life lessons from when I was a child that focus too much on inequal...

As I took some time to recover from a back injury, I turned to music for solace, particularly George Michael. Since his death on December 25, 2016, I miss him even more. Growing up in the 80’s, he was such an inspiration to me. He had this amazing light and passion that was impossible to resist. His words and music was about living life to the fullest and not giving a damn about what others thought. 

He was an icon of my generation. During that time, there was a shift in the world, a tim...

After seeing the latest Jake Gyllenhaal movie, Stronger, I walked away with a profound sense of recognition. I immediately connected with him, particularly at the point when he realizes the impact that he is having on others, simply by being determined to stay strong. Like many of us in the theatre, I left with tears in my eyes and struggled to maintain my composure in such a public place.

Everyone knows that hearing aids tend to look rather dull, after all, they are medical devices. While some companies provide a variety of colours, particularly for the kids, the majority offer a limited range, namely hair and skin tones. That’s fine for people who want to be discreet about their hearing loss. But what about the rest of us who have been wearing them for more than 20 or 30 years? We get bored, really quickly. Like myself, I discovered that it’s much more pr...

Just got the news!

My radio interview will be broadcast at 1:00 on Sunday Sept 21 on Northumberland 89.7 FM.

You can also hear it live-streamed at the station's website at: http://www.northumberland897.ca/

Want to listen to the podcast at a later date? Here are the MP3 radio clips: http://wordonthehills.com/recent-programs/ . In the meantime, go check out the official page for Word on the Hills Radio Program: http://wordonthehills.com/ 

Normally I don't post other people blogs like this, but this one totally made my day! I was laughing so hard that tears were running down my face.  It's simply hilarious and an honest reflection of things people often say to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It happens ALL the time. Plus, there are superbly funny pics of Captain Picard illustrating those comments.

LOVE this! > http://www.withalittlemoxie.com/blog/10-dumb-things-hearing-say-deaf/

I often get the most interesting questions from my readers, the most popular one is: Did that really happen?

My response, it depends on which event it is ;)  I'm very cheeky with my answers and I do want to keep you on your toes.  Curiosity is a great motivator to find out what happens next.  And yes, some of those lingering questions from Sway are indeed answered in Compass and Destiny, much will be revealed. 

For the most part, over 65% of it is true. Some scenes have obviously been expande...

I'm often asked "What inspired you to write about a hearing impaired teenager?". Well, It's true what they say about writing from true life, if it feels real then the reader will say "Wow!" and immediately connect to it.  I wanted to offer something new for young readers, I wanted them to experience life from a different perspective.  Quite often, when people meet me, they always ask a ton of questions of what's like to be severely hard of hearing.  It just made sense to write it all d...

Did you know that www.trenthills.ca is now accepting nominations for the Civic Awards?

Know the perfect person to vote for? Go nominate them! >> http://trenthills.ca/en/services/civicawards.asp

Don't wait too long, the Nomination deadline is January 30, 2012 at 2:00pm!

I've already submitted a nomination for someone today - I'm crossing my fingers that they win, they deserve it!

These are the categories:

Agricultural Leadership Award - For the leadership efforts of an individual o...