Yes, it has been a long time since I wrote on this blog.  Many things are the same, yet many things are different.

As for hearing loss, I am still passionate about creating awareness about hearing loss.  I still love to “Speak,” however, I enjoy it best when I speak occasionally.

As for work, it is still in transition.  However, I just graduated with a Master’s degree from University of Houston in Human Resources Development.  I am looking for a professional position that will be the best fit for me and the organization.

Yes, I am still passionate about horses.  However, I do not own any at the moment.  I do plan to ride and show again the future.  I just need to take care of other more important priorities right now.

Since, I am not currently riding, I do have a new passion where I make money, instead of spending money.  I love to update old gently, loved furniture.  I turn your pieces into wonderful conversation pieces, whether it’s shabby chic, french country, cottage chic, or farm.  I am addicted to this new hobby of mine!

2 gorgeous night stands that I updated!  I love the way this turned out.  go to http://facebook.com/hopeandhappinessvintagefurniture to find out more.

As always, have a sunny day

Susanna

My new Book!!!!
Champion Ears – Susanna Dussling team page

Sponsor Me for Houston, TX Walk4Hearing

I will be participating in the Houston, TX Walk4Hearing. I need your support to make this event a success. Please take a moment to sponsor my efforts. Please walk with me on November 3, 2012 at Tom Bass Park in Pearland at 9:00 a.m.

If you cannot walk, please make a donation on this page. Checks are welcome, payable to Walk4Hearing -mailed to Susanna Dussling 12502 Seattle Slew #324 Houston, Texas 77065. Any questions, call me at 281-818-0547 or email me at susannadussling@yahoo.com Thanks!

News Flash!!! Walk 2008,2009, 2010, and 2011 was a success. Thanks to Champion for Hearing Team we reached our group goal and actually went over goal!!! Yeah! and we had great team participation on the day of the walk.

My hearing story.

I was born profoundly deaf in both ears with a greater loss in the left ear. I began to wear hearing aids at the age of three. I did pretty well with the “aids.” Yes, there were lots of challenges; however, I prevailed and I grew up in a “hearing world.” Six years ago, my life completely changed. I suffered “sudden instant deafness” in my left ear. I thought my world ended. Now, I was completely deaf in my left ear and I hardly had any hearing in my right ear. At that moment in time, I was truly a “DEAF person.” My life and work was in the “hearing world.” I was panicked and upset. Then, I realized I had nothing to lose in obtaining a cochlear implant. I was implanted with a left CI. The rehabilitation process was slow, I hung in there and finally success with the CI. It is truly an awesome device. I hear better with the CI! I loved it so much, I had the other ear implanted. Wow! It is wonderful to hear sound! I am very passionate about Cochlear Implants and other “hard of hearing” issues. 

I enjoying sharing my powerful, inspiring, and humorous message “Anything is Possible if you Believe” to others as a speaker. 

I also share my message as an author of “Sunny and Her Cochlear Implants.”  Sunny is an eight year old girl who shares her message of hope, acceptance, and a positive “can do it attititude.” 

My nephew Max.

Max is the greatest nephew in the world. He is a cool 13 year old kid. He loves dinosaurs, WII and swimming!

Max enjoys school, he makes very good grades,and enjoys playing with his school mates.

Max is also “hard of hearing.” He wears two hearing aids in both ears. He too has challenges but it does not stop Max from living a complete and wonderful life.

Do you want to learn more about Cochlear Implants?   Houston is having a cochlear hearing health fair on January 29th.  I will be there to share with others the delights and joys of being a bilateral cochlear implant wearer.

“My hearing was

restored with a cochlear implant!”

Meet cochlear implant users

Attend education and information sessions

Meet with doctors and audiologists

Struggling with

your hearing aids?

Learn how cochlear implant users have

gained more than just their hearing!

Cochlear and the elliptical logo are trademarks of Cochlear Limited.

Call for more information or to register:

1-877-HEAR-THIS (432-7844)

Whew, this year flew by.  It was a busy one. 

 In Spring of 2010, I was busy getting my first book, “Sunny and her Cochlear Implants”  ready for print.  Finally, after much back and forth between the publisher, illustrator and I, the book finally went to print and was released in June 2010. 

Meanwhile, I was busy showing and riding Chance throughout the spring.   We finished the show year at Region 9 in Forth Worth.  Chance and I had our ups and downs.  The winning moments were especially priceless and emotional because it goes to show that hard work, perserverance, with persistence doe pay off!!!!!! 

As we moved in to fall 2010, I was very busy with Toastmasters.   Even competed in the Humorous Speech and Table Topics contest.  The highlight was winning in both.  

In addition, I took the next step in advancing  my professional speaking career by speaking outside of Toastmasters and Hearing loss Association meetings.  I spoke for a quite a few organizations and I had a blast doing it.  I love speaking as much as I love showing horses.  I became a member of the National Speakers Association Pro Track program.

Finally, ended the year by taking Chance to the xmas show in Katy 2010.  We had a great show!  Even received a first place in a large class with a flawless ride.  My trainer Jennifer Goslin told me that was probably the best ride of my life with Chance.  To receive that first place ribbon was the “icing on the cake.

I know 2011 will be an even better year!!!

I wish everyone a sunny new year don’t forget to book Susanna for your next event at www.susannamdussling.com or buy “Sunny and her cochlear implants” at www.sunnyandhercochlearimplants.com

As always,

Susanna

Hope everyone is ready for the new year!

This article appeared in my Cochlear Americas newsletter.  I totally agree 2 ears are better than one.

In the past as a former hearing aid user, I always wore both hearing aids even though I had hardly any hearing in my right ear.  Why, it helped me to locate sound better.

As a bilateral cochlear implant wearer, I always wear both!!!!!  It is like having surround sound on your head.  The listening experience is way better. 

If you are hesitant about 2 ears vs.  1.  I suggest you read the article and serious consider having “2 ears.”  You will love it!!!!!  Trust me!!!!!

Are Two Ears Are Better Than One?

Our bodies are designed to hear sound in stereo, using two ears to receive sound from the world around us. Just as we use two eyes to see the whole picture, we use two ears to hear the whole story. This process of hearing with both ears, called binaural hearing, helps us filter important sounds from background noise and quickly identify the direction of incoming sounds. People who hear through both ears may perceive sound to be louder and be able detect smaller differences in loudness and pitch. The ability to detect loudness and pitch differences often aids in better speech understanding in both quiet and noisy environments.¹

For people who are hearing impaired, hearing through both ears can be achieved multiple ways:

• two hearing aids
• one hearing aid and one cochlear implant
• two cochlear implants

Hearing with both ears, also called bilateral hearing, can be an advantage in many everyday activities. For example, it may help when crossing a busy street or listening to your family at the dinner table.

The ability to hear better in noisy places such as a classroom or workplace, may improve performance at school or on the job.

If you are considering a bilateral hearing solution for you or your child, talk with your hearing healthcare professional about your options.

Book Susanna today to speak at your next event, www.susannamdussling.com

Susanna’s book:  www.sunnyandhercochlearimplants.com

As always, have a sunny day and a sunny new year.

Susanna

These are some serious facts about deafness. It is downright depressing. We need to educate everyone that their is help for their hearing loss and deafness.  Wow, I guess I must be a success story because I have been gainfully employed my whole working life and I make a very respectful salary.

I have to admit it has not been easy, because the telephone has always been a challenge.  However, I prevailed.  I have a successful career in retail management and I am growing my professional speaking career.  As a result of my sudden deafness 5 years ago, I discovered my life’s purpose is to educate others that we can have fulfilling and rewarding lives in spite of our deafness.

I speak to groups, schools, and corporations about Positive Mental Attitude, Overcoming Adversity, Success, Change, and Hearing loss.  Go to www.susannamdussling.com to book me. 

FACTS ABOUT DEAFNESS

1. There are 31 million individuals with hearing loss in the United States.

 2. 4,000 children in the United States are born with hearing loss each year. 3. 90% of children with hearing loss are born to normal hearing parents.

4. Parents with normal hearing communicate through speaking, and most do not know how to use sign language to communicate with their deaf child.

5. Deaf education programs in the public schools usually teach some form of sign language in order to communicate with and educate the students. As a result, few deaf students become proficient in the English language.

6. An average reading level of 3rd grade is typical of graduates of deaf education programs in the U.S.

7. 45% of deaf individuals do not graduate from high school and only 5% graduate from college.

8. A small minority of deaf students complete deaf education programs prepared for independence in adulthood; 60% face either unemployment or severe unemployment.

 9. Deaf individuals earn only 50% to 70% of what their hearing peers earn, losing an average of $320,000 in earnings during their lifetime.

10. Over 50% of deaf adults earn less than $25,000 per year.

11. 42% of deaf adults between 18 to 44 years of age are unemployed.

12. Deafness is the most costly single disability in terms of special education costs, averaging $25,000 per year per child, compared to $5,100 for a normally hearing child. 13. The average lifetime cost to society of a child born deaf in terms of medical, educational, and productivity losses is $1,020,000

As always, Have a sunny day.  Susanna

Susanna’s new book:  www.sunnyandhercochlearimplants.com

Hope everyone is in good spirits for the 2010 holiday season!

I work full time in Retail Management, thus this is our wild,crazy time at the store.  I am excited about Christmas so I can have a day off!!

I know many of you traveling to be with friends and family, have a great time and be safe.

I will be sharing some tips that Cochlear Americas published to make travel a little easier for those of us that have cochlear implants.

The holiday season is here and for many of us that means trips and family get togethers. If you are traveling long distances you may want to plan ahead.

1. If you would like to find a clinic near your destination please review the list of worldwide Nucleus® clinics.

2. You might also ask your audiologist for a paper copy of your current MAP(s). Make sure you have a copy with you on your trip. If for some reason your implant needs to be programmed while you’re away, just visit, or call a Nucleus® clinic with your MAP copy in hand. It is also possible for your audiologist to send your programs electronically if it is needed.

And don’t forget to pack:

• Nucleus ID card
• Back-up sound processor with back up coil and cables
• Accessories and accessory cables (i.e. personal audio cable and Hi-Fi cable)
• Rechargeable and disposable batteries (p675 Zinc Air)
• Battery charger (with international plug packs if you need them)
• Remote Assistant – for our Nucleus 5 customers
• Dry & Store and/or Dry-Aid Kit

Are you traveling by air? You should know that…
1. It is okay to walk through the metal detectors and full body scanners with your sound processor on. You may want to turn off your telecoil to avoid any potential buzzing sounds as you walk through.

2. Your implant can not interfere with the plane’s navigation or communication systems. Although your implant transmits radio frequency (RF) signals, they are very short range and would be limited to a distance of less than five feet from the external coil. However, if you are a Nucleus 5 recipient, your remote assistant needs to be turned off.

3. If you wish to listen to the music and/or TV provided by the airline, use your TV/HiFi cable to connect. This cable directly connects directly to your sound processor and has surge protection built in.

Book Susanna to speak at your next event www.susannamdussling.com

Hopefully, most of us enjoy reading.  We are always on the lookout for books related to hearing loss.  I have included a list of hearing loss related books. 

Happy Reading!!!  and Enjoy!!!!!! 

”An Invisible Condition: The Human Side of Hearing Loss” by Rocky Stone

“Auditory-Verbal Therapy” by*/ /*Warren Estabrooks, Editor

“A Quiet World: Living with Hearing Loss” by David Myers

”Assistive Devices: Doorways to Independence” by Cynthia Comptom

”Balancing Act” by Virginia M. Scott

“Bright Silence”*/ /*by*/ /*Margaret H. Ferris, Editor

“Cochlear Implants for Kids” by Warren Estabrooks, Editor,

”Coping with Hearing Loss” by Susan V. Rezen

“Deaf Like Me” is by Thomas S Spradley and James P Spradley

”Do You Hear Me? Laughs for the Hard of Hearing by the Hard of Hearing”

by Maxwell Schneider

“Demystifying Hearing Assistance Technology: A guide for service
providers and Consumers” by Cheryl Davis, Samuel Atcherson and Marni L.
Johnson

”The Feel of Silence” by Bonnie Potras Tucker, J.D.

”Full Face: A Correspondence About Becoming Deaf in Mid-Life” by Claire

Blatchford

“Grandmom and Me and the System” by Peg Adamucci.

“Hear, A Four Letter Word” (autobiography) by Ciwa Griffiths, Founder of
Hear Center

“Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids: A Consumer‘s Handbook” by Dr. Richard

Carmen (1998)

“Hear Again – Back to Life with a Cochlear Implant” by Arlene Romoff

“Hear: Solutions, Skills, and Sources for Hard-of-Hearing People” by Anne

Pope

“Hearing Aides, What I Don’t Hear I Make Up” autobiography by Charlotte
Schamadan

“How to Survive Hearing Loss” by Charlotte Himber

“IDEA Advocacy for Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing” by Bonnie
Potras Tucker, JD,

“Keys to Living with Hearing Loss” by Marcia Dugan

“Listening-Ways of Hearing in a Silent World” by Hannah Merker

“Listen with the Heart” by Michael Harvey

“Listening Closely: A Journey to Bilateral Hearing” by Arlene Romoff

*“Living with Hearing Loss” books and materials by Sam Trychin available
at http://Trychin. com/bookstore. html <http://trychin. com/bookstore. html>*

* *

*“Metered Time: Jagged Time” poetry by Ciwa Griffiths*

“Missing Words: The Family Handbook on Adult Hearing Loss” by Kay

Thomsett and Eve Nickerson

”Odyssey of Hearing Loss: Tales of Triumph” by Michael A. Harvey, Ph.D.

“One Out of Ten” autobiography by Ciwa Griffiths

“Our Forgotten Children” by Julia M Davis, Editor,

”Patrick Gets Hearing Aids” by Maureen Cassidy Riski and Nikolas Klakow

“Reading between the Lips” autobiography by Lew Golan

“Sunny and her Cochlear Implants” by Susanna Dussling

“The Silent Garden” by Paul V. Ogden

“To Hear the Birds Sing – Conversations with my Heart” by Marie
Younkin-Waldman

“When the Phone Rings, My Bed Shakes”, memoirs of a deaf doctor, Philip
Zazove, M.D.

”Wired for Sound: A Journey Into Hearing” by Beverly Biderman

“What’s That Pig Outdoors (A Memoir of Deafness)” by Henry Kisor

“Yes, You Can Heather!”* *(Heather Whitestone), autobiography by Daphne Gray

Happy Holidays!!!!!