Helen Keller has famously said, “Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.”
The effects of hearing loss vary among children and adults. For the latter it can lead to depression, isolation, stress and social rejection. However, hearing loss can easily be rectified in adults and they can lead a full and happy life. In this case we talk about a brave heart; she lost her hearing and vision at a young age but the story of her road to recovery is quite exemplary.
Jasmine Shah suffers from a unique syndrome called Usher syndrome. The syndrome is characterized by hearing loss and a gradual visual impairment. Jasmine gradually started losing her hearing at the age of 11 years. She completely lost her hearing when she was 16 years old. Her father invested a lot of effort in ensuring that she finished school. However, after losing her vision at the age of 18 years, Jasmine found it extremely difficult to communicate. Jasmine was trying to regain both her senses ever since.
At the age of 32 years, she got implanted with a Cochlear Nucleus implant at Hinduja Hospital. The cochlear implant restored her sense of hearing. Jasmine grabbed the opportunity and connected to the world around her fully. Today, she adroitly dons multiple hats, those of a diligent home-maker, a caring wife and a doting mother. She attends her daughter’s school meetings and takes her out with friends. She fully indulges in her hobbies such as watching stage shows and movies. Jasmine also confidently socializes at kitty parties and regales her friends with shayari in Hindi.
But ask her about the one thing she cherishes the most. Her eyes will light up as she says, “It is the sound of my daughter calling me ‘mamma’ every day!” For Jasmine, the sense of hearing is unequivocally more important than the sense of vision. The gift of hearing helps her to connect and communicate with her beloved daughter every moment of her day!
Jasmine’s shayari aptly sums up her entire life
काख अंधेरों पर
एक सूरज ही भारी है
मुसीबतों से जीता वही
जिसने हिम्मत नहीं हारी है
