Deaf teen finds joy in family, dancing, friends
Lauren’s story: Deaf teen challenges herself every day
Lauren Samar may seem like a regular 15-year-old girl. She loves art, reading, dancing and hanging out with her family and friends. But Lauren is also deaf. Although being a deaf teenager presents many challenges, the word disabled is not in Lauren’s vocabulary.
Lauren, a freshman at City Honors, has not always been deaf. When she was 21 she became ill with meningitis (an infection that affects spinal fluid and the fluid that surrounds the brain) and lost her hearing. About a year later, Lauren received a cochlear implant. The implant is different from a hearing aid. It is a partially internal, partially external device that stimulates the hearing part of the brain, instead of simply amplifying sounds externally.
Although Lauren’s cochlear implant does allow her to hear some things, she faces difficult situations every day. “The most difficult thing about being deaf is being in a room full of people who can hear. They are able to speak out faster and understand every word the person speaking is saying,” says Lauren. At school, Lauren works with an interpreter who signs to her during classes. While this makes it easier for her to understand the lessons, it can also mean that she is behind a bit during class discussions and in answering questions.
In the cafeteria, Lauren says that she usually can’t hear anything because it is “so noisy and people speak too fast.” She also believes that being a deaf teenager makes it harder to become friends with hearing teenagers. “Most teens would rather keep talking than stop and repeat or talk slower,” says Lauren.
But one of the biggest obstacles that Lauren has to overcome is the fact that most people just don’t understand what it’s like to be deaf. She says: “Although I have a device that allows me to hear, I still can’t hear. People have to look at me when they talk. People have to understand because I’m deaf doesn’t mean I’m dumb or that you don’t have to exaggerate your mouth or scream when you talk [to me].”
Even with so many difficulties to face, there are positive things Lauren sees about being deaf. Not only does she like that it makes her unique, but she also “loves, loves, loves” being able to choose when she wants to hear. “I can take off my implant anytime and close my eyes. I won’t have to listen to anyone.”
Although she prefers to speak, especially around her hearing friends, at home everyone in Lauren’s family uses sign language. “My brother, Thomas, who learned how to sign when he was 18 months old, is the best signer,” she says.
Thomas, now 13 and in eighth grade at City Honors, says that he and his sister have a unique relationship. “We make each other crazy like most siblings do, but because she is deaf and I learned to sign and speak at the same time – I have been her interpreter for most of our childhood,” he says.
According to their mother Lisa, Thomas “has been a beneficiary of her deafness – her protector when needed and she loves him dearly.”
At school, some of her friends fingerspell, but she and her best friend Sarah (who is also deaf) sign to each other all the time.
Did you know that hearing loss can also affect your ability to balance? When Lauren was 4, her mother enrolled her in dance classes so she could work on improving her balance. Dance quickly became one of Lauren’s favorite activities.
At Mullen Sisters School of Dance, Lauren participates in weekly ballet, jazz and hip-hop classes, which is quite a feat, considering she cannot hear the music. While most dancers usually learn dance steps by following along with the music, Lauren must memorize the counts and the beats of each step to remain in sync with the other dancers. “Lauren is one of only a few people that I have ever met that is willing to live outside of her comfort zone,” says her mother. “She faces the daily challenge to understand what is happening around her – but Lauren finds challenges that are even bigger to overcome all the time... in third grade she informed us that she was joining the choir, in fourth grade she wanted to take piano lessons. She embraces dance and dances a duet with a wonderful dance partner –something she loves doing!”
In addition, Lauren finds her escape in reading books. “I love to read because it is like watching a movie in my head. I can always pick up a book I read before – or 10 times – and read it again,” she says. Some of her favorites include the “Twilight” saga, the “House Of Night” series, the “Vampire Academy” series, and anything by Tamora Pierce. “I realize that these are mostly vampire books,” says Lauren, “but they are so good!”
Lauren insists that her parents, John and Lisa, are the most influential people in her life. “They inspire me to be great. They help me to understand the world and help me along in life so much,” she says.
Her family’s inspiration has led Lauren to develop big dreams for the future. She plans to graduate from City Honors, go to a great college and study veterinary medicine, “something to do with reading, something to do with the environment, or some sort of biology.”
Throughout her life, Lauren has had much to overcome, but continues to challenge herself in dance class and in school every day. But perhaps the most inspiring thing about Lauren’s outlook on life is the fact that she would not trade in the experience of being deaf, even if she could. “Being deaf is hard to describe because I don’t know what being hearing is like. But it can be difficult because it constantly presents challenges that will never go away.”
Sophie Friedman is a senior at City Honors.
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