[desilu1991]

Ok, ya'll... here I am... I must admit I was a little shocked to find this thread at the top of the first page a few minutes ago.. even more shocked, when I read the post that put it there... Since this is an old thread, (5.5 months ago), a lot has happened... First I want to say to Seattle...the information that I got when I was told he had very little hearing was that the doctor in Guatemala told them he needed a cochlear implant before he was a year old or he would lose the residual hearing he does have left. I had never even heard of the implant before this. While I was waiting to find out if we were going to be able to adopt him, I got all the information I could, from folks on this forum (including hearing AND deaf members.... esp. thanks to Guatdad...). I've also gotten hooked up with the John Tracy Clinic and my husband and children and I have started taking an online class to help us get ready for Luke to come home... but that was 5 months ago...

What you don't know, is that we knew he was the baby God wanted us to have and we were thrilled to get him, whether he could hear or not. We weren't planning on getting him in hopes of "fixing" him... but we did plan on getting him seen by the best doctors we could find and getting several opinions on how we could best help him.. whether it would be hearing aids, an implant, learning sign language, or whatever. We decided we wanted to do whatever was best for him. Since we had no experience whatsoever with anyone who was deaf, I asked questions in hopes of finding some answers. We would never have accepted his referral without a lot of prayer and assurance that he was our baby. Knowing that, we were prepared to handle whatever came. In early November, a friend of mine from the forum went to visit her baby at the same hogar where Luke was. She spent a few hours with him and observed him and took pictures of him for me. She wrote me the first day and told me that she doesn't think Luke is deaf. Of course, we prayed from the beginning that God would heal his ears, if it was his will. I couldn't believe it, but she said he responded to all the different noises she made and she thot he could hear pretty well. So, after hearing that, we decided it was time for a visit. My husband and I went down right after Thanksgiving and after spending 4 days with my precious Luke, I am convinced he can hear and that he can very, very well. I honestly believe God healed his ears. We suspect, along with the people that take care of him, that being thrown in a sewer as a newborn, might have had something to do with his hearing loss and that it was just temporary. Maybe fluid and infection in his ears, that finally cleared up after a few months of antibiotics. Who knows... All I know is he is a miracle baby from the time he was born and a neighbor rescued him from the sewer. I am completely crazy about him and I would do ANYTHING for him. If that means, helping him hear, if he does happen to have any type of hearing loss, then, yes, I will do that. I think it would make his life much easier if he's able to hear and possibly speak. If he does still have a hearing loss, I will still be just as crazy about him and I will still love him with all my heart, as I do now. Nothing could make me love him any less, or treat him any differently. I feel very, very protective of him, so you don't have to worry about me taking care of my boy...He will be just fine... I'll update everyone once he's home and we've had him checked out... Thanks, Oceania, I might pm you later on...Thanks everyone, for your support.. Judy