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How I became the Bionic Woman

Maddie Koufogzos
Connector Editor

I was born with a hearing deficit. Not a major one, but as I’ve gotten older, my hearing has worsened. When I was last tested by an audiologist, my hearing levels had dropped by 30 decibels, which makes hearing soft noises or conversations much more difficult.

Although my hearing levels have dropped significantly, for the most part, I have been able to hide my poor hearing from my peers, bosses and teachers. I overcompensate by sitting in the front of every class – which always makes me seem far too eager to learn. I laugh when I think it is an appropriate time to laugh. I usually manage to fool people.

My friends and family, though, know me too well. Since I was about 12 years old, they have taunted me with, “Get some hearing aids, Maddie!” My father and one of my brothers also have a hearing loss. Talking with them is like playing a game of telephone – nothing gets translated properly.

College has destroyed my facade, as I live with my friends now. They can tell when I cannot hear something, and they call me out on it. Still, the thought of getting hearing aids made me feel ashamed. Why would I get hearing aids at such a young age? My hearing isn’t so bad that I can’t hold normal conversations, or hear at a normal level.

But I realized that I was being shallow in placing more importance on my appearance rather than my quality of life. It took some goading from my friends, but I made the decision to try hearing aids.

I went to a specialist, and he fitted my ears with a mold – similar to when an orthodontist fits your mouth for braces. He had to send the mold to two different factories because my ear canals are so small. Luckily, this means that the hearing aids are practically invisible in my ear.

The first time I put my hearing aids in it was like someone turned the volume up on the world. I could hear things that I had never been able to hear before. My mom told me later that I had such a look of wonder on my face that she cried when leaving the doctor’s office.

At 21, I am practically relearning how to hear. I have to train myself to tone down background noise. Even my actions have become significantly louder. Now, instead of blasting the radio or the volume on the television, I can hear it at lower levels. My friends have tested my hearing by whispering from far distances away, but I can still hear them. After all, I am now the Bionic Woman.