Abe Marshall: Its Not Just Water

When Abe Marshall experienced hearing loss his worst fear was what others might think. It didn’t work out that way.

When I was 10 years old, I went swimming with my family. It started out like any other day but ended quite differently.

While I was swimming, I got water stuck in my left ear. Ok, I thought, No big deal. Little did I know it wouldn’t be going anywhere. When I got home, I couldn’t seem to get rid of it, and my ear still felt clogged. My mom told me the water would come out while I was sleeping, but the next morning it was still there.

By this point, I was getting worried. My parents took me to my doctor for a hearing test, and I performed below average. That freaked me out. But I learned that the water didn’t cause my damage, although we never learned what did.

Over the next few months, I saw so many hearing specialists that I wanted to stay in school. But after many tests, the doctors came to the same conclusion: I would need a hearing aid.

When I heard the news, I said, “Absolutely not! That would be embarrassing!”

My parents told me no one would care, “It’s like wearing glasses, except way less noticeable,” but I wouldn’t listen. I was sure that as soon as I wore it to school, everyone would notice and make fun of me.

A few months later, I received a test hearing aid to see if it helped or not. Everyone, (even me) could tell I was hearing better than before. So the time came for me to wear it at school. I was nervous and right away my friends came up to me and asked the dreaded question: “What’s in your ear?”

I responded quietly, “A hearing aid.”

“Ok, cool,” they said, and both walked to take their seats. That’s it? I thought. Wow, maybe my parents were right? Throughout the day, only a few more people asked me what was in my ear, and each time they accepted the fact, and moved on. One kid even said, “It’s like an FBI device, you could pretend to be a spy or something.”

Now I’ve learned that having hearing loss, isn’t something to be embarrassed about, it's something to own and take pride in. I know not to feel nervous, because I can make a joke about it just like anyone else can.

With a Perspective, I’m Abe Marshall.

Abe Marshall is an eighth grader at Kent Middle School in Kentfield.