In Singapore alone, 1 in every 1,000 babies are born with severe or profound hearing loss. While many have been deprived of hearing those around them, the latest treatment for hearing loss may just help them break through the barriers to quality education and personal achievements.
With the recently announced partnership of the Malala Fund and hearing health not-for-profit Cochlear Foundation, more awareness is being spread about providing every girl with the opportunity to achieve a future she chooses.
The 'Achieve Anything' programme, in particular, encourages children and young people with hearing loss to share their stories of growth and achievements in overcoming the condition.
theAsianparent recently caught up with Cochlear Implant Patient, Naomi Yokoyama, who openly shared her journey with hearing loss and how she was able to reach her achievements today.
Born With A Profound Hearing Loss But That Didn't Stop Naomi
Naomi Yokoyama, 22, was born with profound hearing loss in both ears. At only 26-months-old, Naomi already received the latest treatment for hearing loss. She underwent surgery to have Cochlear implants for her right ear and then eventually for her left at 11-years-old.
"In school, I had to sit at the front of the classroom in order to be able to hear and understand my teachers properly," Naomi tells theAsianparent. "In larger social situations, I would sometimes struggle to hear if many people spoke at once."
It also upset Naomi that some of her classmates would shout at her and shared that this really impacted her self-esteem when she was younger.
She adds, "I was also quite self-conscious about my implant, and would often leave my hair down so that it wasn’t visible, or I would want to remove the speech processor."
To overcome this, Naomi sought out intensive speech therapy and would regularly visit Audiologists to her listen and speak well. Since then, she has learnt to be more confident with who she is and rarely takes her speech processors out.
Latest Treatment For Hearing Loss: How Hearing Loss Didn't Keep Naomi From Pursuing Her Dreams
Growing up in a "very sporty" family, Naomi was interested in sports since she was younger. She even took up ballet dancing to help train herself to listen to tempos correctly.
It was only later when she found her love for bowling as she started learning the sport as a CCA in primary school. She admits how she did not expect bowling to be her true calling.
"I later started bowling, and realised that I loved it and that this was what I really wanted to focus on," shares Naomi.
With her determination and passion for bowling, Naomi became part of the Deaf Sports Association (DSA) in 2015.
This eventually led her to represent Singapore in the Deaflympics for the first time in 2017, where she won a historic gold medal.
When asked how she felt winning the gold medal, Naomi says, "It was absolutely amazing, and I still find it difficult to put into words how I truly feel about having won a historic gold for Singapore in the 2017 Deaflympics."
"Winning this gave me a lot of motivation and hope that I can continue to grow and improve, becoming better and stronger along the way. I learnt the importance of believing in myself and staying calm," she makes sure to add.
Naomi Is Grateful To Those Who Have Helped Her In Her Journey
Naomi shares that her family helped her receive the latest treatment for hearing loss from the very start. Her mum especially would spend a lot of time helping her practice how to speak and listen to different sounds.
Wanting to follow their path in pursuing a sport in life, Naomi adds that her sisters inspired and taught her what it means to be a better person and athlete. "One who trains hard and has great sportsmanship," was the motto that encouraged Naomi to represent Singapore in the Deaflympics.
"I also have support from my Speech Therapist, Surgeon as well as my Audiologists; without them, I would probably still be facing difficulty leading life like a normal person, as I would not be able to detect sounds well. They have been with me on this journey till now, which has been really amazing to me," says Naomi.
She continues, "My friends, teachers, lecturers and coaches have been very understanding that I could be a little slower than my peers. They have spent time checking up on me to make sure I could cope with school or not, or if I needed any assistance."
"I am grateful to those who have supported me and helped me to ensure I’m doing well because without them, I wouldn’t be who I am today. They have helped me build up my confidence in mingling with people, especially with coaching little kids," says the gold medalist.
A Message For Other Girls Wanting To Achieve Their Dreams
In addition to her inspiring story, we also asked Naomi to share a few words to other girls who aspire to be just like her.
To which she says, "It’s all about having the strength and power to believe in yourself and that you are better than you think. If there are people out there who can achieve their dreams at any time, so can you."
"Have the patience to go through the process because at the end of it, you will get the result you want. Obstacles or challenges will lose to you if you keep fighting for your dreams, they are there to help you become stronger and achieve your dreams!" she adds.
Speaking on the partnership, Malala Yousafzai said, "My message to all the children with hearing loss is that you can achieve any dream that you have. Yes, there are things that might limit us, things might be slightly harder for us. And I personally can relate to that because I have lost my hearing in my left ear and I use a cochlear implant. But you deserve this. You deserve to have equal opportunities as everybody else."
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