The Care Project: A Beacon of Hope

This weekend, we had the opportunity to attend a workshop with professionals and parents of children who are deaf and hard of hearing.

It was called The Care Project. Quoted from their website, what it is all about.

"Undeniably, life’s journey is full of challenges. Arriving with those hurdles are different emotions, dependent upon circumstances. An individual facing the challenge of hearing loss needs to be able to rely on a strong support system within the family and community. The CARE Project has a number of components designed to bring families and professionals together for sharing and processing emotions, with the ultimate goal being acceptance and advocating for the best life possible."

I really love this idea on so many levels.

I think having workshops for parents about grief and helping them accept and cope with hearing loss is wonderful. I believe Johnnie Sexton, the developer is really onto something. I wish every parent and professional could have a workshop like this geared for their child who is dealing with a disease or disability.

I find from living with cystic fibrosis and now being a parent of a child with some disabilities; support for understanding, accepting, and coping with daily difficulties is essential. Without it, life would be very challenging and depressing.

Parents want emotional support. Parents need emotional support. This is vital for the special needs community. If you have experienced any kind of disability or disease, you remember clearly when you heard the news for the first time. Your daughter has a genetic lung disease called cystic fibrosis. You have cancer. Your son is deaf. Your child has autism. Your husband is paralyzed.

Accepting this information comes with it, grief. This will come in all different forms, and it will come and go with everyone experiencing it. Grief leaves no one behind. How we deal with it, is up to us. We watched video of parents and children, speaking about how they have dealt with their hearing loss. What it means to them. How they have moved on and learned from it. We watched a video of a professional talk about the lesson she has learned in her lifetime. It was all so moving, very touching. It taught me so much about the hard of hearing and deaf community. It gave me an appreciation for those who have been where we have been. What lessons they have learned, and what they can teach us. This is what makes the world go round.

My husband and I were also able to meet a family within our community who have children who are also hard of hearing. This meant the world to me, to be able to connect with other families. I have a wonderful connection with so many people who are like me, with cystic fibrosis. These connections are very meaningful and full of blessing. But the hard of hearing world is new to us. Gwyneth was just diagnosed 1 year ago. Before this meeting, we hadn't met one other deaf or hard of hearing young family within our community. Now we have, and I feel excited to know we are not the only ones out there.

So, thank you to people like Johnnie who have a vision of how to help others and for starting such an innovative idea like The Care Project!

The Care Project