At just 3 days of life, Jameson failed his newborn hearing screening. From then on is what began his journey through Nemours Audiology. Before 15 months of age, it was evident hearing aids were not a good fit for Jameson and his little ears. He was implanted and activated by 16 months old. Months later, Jameson was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. New sounds and new environments were overwhelming for him, but with his new “ears”, nothing could stop him. He now uses ASL daily and continues to be a ball of fire.

Lucy was born with microtia of the right ear and cleft palate. At the age of 2 years, Lucy was brought to Nemours where it was determined that she has a mild conductive hearing loss on her left side and a  moderate/severe conductive hearing loss on her right side. With the help of her audiologist Dr. Godovin, and audiology team, Lucy was fitted with her first bone anchored hearing device. Fast forward to today, Lucy is almost 8 years old, and she just started 2^nd grade at Delaware School for the Deaf. Lucy enjoys attending Gym and Math and is learning to communicate using ASL. This has helped her bridge the gaps in oral communication, and she enjoys being bimodal. Her teachers and speech therapists have provided Lucy’s family with strategies to pursue her success. Lucy enjoys building with Legos, singing Disney songs, reading books, riding horses, playing outside with her siblings, and spending time with friends. With perseverance and determination, and the continued support of the Audiology, Speech, and Craniofacial Team at Nemours, Lucy can do anything that she puts her mind to and continues to navigate through her hearing journey.

Shortly after birth and a referred newborn hearing screen, Kelly was brought to Nemours and diagnosed with mild/moderate bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. Luckily, Kelly had ample support from a family with a history of hearing loss. With the help of Dr. Abate, and the audiology team at Nemours, at 3 months of age she was fitted for her first pair of hearing aids. Kelly was our 2021 ambassador and is now 10 years old attending her 9^th annual Hear We Go with “Kelly’s Butterflies”. She loves gymnastics, learning new tricks, and spending time with her friends while staying active. Kelly enjoys advocating for kids who are hearing impaired all while navigating through life with her own hearing impairment.

Once LJ began speech and he started to progress, the Speech and Language Pathologist from UD again suggested a hearing test just to rule out hearing loss. We reluctantly scheduled the appointment and took LJ in about a week later. That was the day that we knew something maybe wrong with LJ’s hearing as he failed the hearing test at UD. We immediately sought a second opinion at Nemours Children’s Audiology Department. The appointment was scheduled for early February, and we had no idea what to expect.  We nervously took LJ in and met with Dr. Jessica Godovin. After another full hearing assessment she confirmed that our son had Sensorineural Hearing Loss of the right ear.

Kenyon's “hearing journey” began at birth when he failed the newborn hearing screening three times. He began the testing to determine a diagnosis - genetic, neurological, and of course more hearing tests. His parents and brother are all hearing, so this was uncharted territory for his family. 

At 18 months of age, Maddie was diagnosed with profound sensorineural hearing loss in her left ear and auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in her right. She was bilaterally implanted at 22 months of age and is now 7 years old with bilateral cochlear implants. Maddie continues to be successful in her Elementary School, she loves the staff and most importantly her friends. She spends her free time doing the activities she loves, especially with her big sister Mikayla and is never one to deny ice cream.

Maddie’s family is so thankful for the various teams at Nemours that granted her the gift of sound. From her diagnosis to her surgery, to her audiology sessions and speech therapy, they have each played a major role in Maddie’s success and her family couldn’t be more grateful.

My name is Sophia Lebano, and I am 21 years old. I was diagnosed with bilateral progressive hearing loss at the age of 8 and received my first pair of hearing aids soon after. I used my hearing aids until shortly before my 16th birthday, where I received my first cochlear implant. I never thought I would undergo surgery again after my negative response to my first operation, but sure enough, I had my right side completed in 2017 before finishing my junior year of high school. I am proud to wear my cochlear implants from Cochlear America, and I am so grateful for the life hearing loss has given me despite struggling quite a bit when I was younger. I am going to graduate college in the Spring of 2023 with my Bachelor’s in Business Management, and will finish my schooling with my Master’s Degree in Spring 2024. Today, I organize and manage a successful marketing and website design company, and co-host a podcast with my mother, “Hear and Now”. A lot of my achievements in the past 21 years wouldn’t have been possible if not for the amazing care I received throughout my hearing journey. For more of my story, visit: https://sophialebano.com/2019/08/17/hearing-loss-journey/