My story with deafness and cochlear implants begins long before I was even born, with my family’s story of hearing loss and my older siblings, Jessica and Jared. My oldest sister, Jessica, was born with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss, and after a series of misdiagnoses, hearing aids, and various trials, she received her first cochlear implant at the age of 33 months old.

Bella Grace Brady was born February 22, 2012.  While at the hospital, Bella’s newborn hearing screens were normal. 

My son, David Rees, was fortunate to attend this outstanding program from the summer of 2010 to May of 2013. David loves golf, running, swimming and anything that has wheels!

WISE was the answer to our journey of Listening and Spoken Language (LSL). Watching Vivi struggle for 2 years (her first 2 years of life) was heartbreaking.  Out of the womb, Vivi had a dynamic personality, even with her hearing loss.

I will never forget the hours we spent at the table inputting the learning to listen sounds and the sheer delight I felt when Caroline said her first “word”, if you could call it that. We were working on “ho, ho, ho” when I heard Caroline say “hmm, hmm, hmm.” I called everyone I knew and quickly realized that they were not nearly as aware what a milestone this was as I was, but I knew we were on our way!

She has attended the Woolley Institute for Spoken-Language Education (WISE), formerly known as the Alabama School for Hearing for three years. I can never express in words what this school did for Amelia. Thank you doesn’t seem enough.

It wasn’t until he attended The Alabama School for Hearing, now known as the Woolley Institute for Spoken-Language Education (WISE) that his language took off. I liken the school to a match that set afire the previous years worth of kindling. The lessons the kids took each day were real-world but unique (building birdhouses, running a restaurant) and filled with new and expanding vocabulary words.

Our miracle came through a group of people who have dedicated their lives to children like our daughter. She will leave this school with a hope and future that didn’t seem possible a couple of years ago. Please accept our sincere appreciation for what the entire staff does for these children, especially our daughter. We will be forever grateful.

We are so thankful to have the WISE teachers in our lives. He has come a long, long way and we can never thank you enough. We will never let him forget you! You are our angels here on Earth.

The one on one environment and excellent teaching she has received has been life changing for our family. She will and is living a completely normal life in the hearing world. 0