Hope

A little more than 3 year ago, I lost the hearing in my left ear.  Within 30 minutes I went from hearing just fine to hearing absolutely nothing on the left side.  I've been to 4 ENTs since then and all 4 have told me they don't really know what happened.  One tried to give me hearing aid but it didn't work.  The rest have said I will just have to learn to deal with it.  And that's what I've done.  BUT, I have not been able to get the words from a priesthood blessing out of my mind. Shortly after I lost my hearing, I received a Father's blessing.  I was told that if I did everything the doctors told me to, I would get my hearing back.  I have tried so hard to have faith in those words, but it's been really hard when all the doctors are telling me it won't happen.

Recently I came across a different kind of hearing aid.  The basic idea is - they anchor a transmitter to your scull.  That transmitter conducts vibrations through your skull to your good ear.  I was super excited when I read about this.  I did a bunch of research and then I found out my insurance company won't cover it.  I sent in an appeal.  They denied the appeal. It's pretty ridiculous that the insurance company will pay up to $30,000 for a cochlear implant to restore hearing loss  But since I don't have the "right kind" of hearing loss, I'm not eligible for an implant.  So I pretty much gave up on the BAHA (bone anchored hearing aid) idea.  There's no way I can pay the $30,000 for the surgery and the equipment all by myself.

Tonight I was invited to attend an informational meeting put on by the company that does cochlear implants and this BAHA.  I almost didn't go, but I am so thankful I did. I was able to speak to a representative from the company one-on-one.  She explained a little more and answered some of the questions I had.  She also had lot of ideas to help me find a way to be able to get one myself!  I am excited by the possibilities.  There's still no guarantee that I will get a BAHA, but I'm hopeful.

As I drove home from this information meeting, I thought about the history with my hearing. I thought about that blessing and how I was convinced that those promises would have to be fulfilled in the next life.  But then I thought about how our Heavenly Father works - how He has worked in my life.  I know that He doesn't always answer my prayers the way I want Him to.  I know in my life, things have a way of working out far better than I could have imagined them, and in a completely different way than I thought they would.  That gives me hope that maybe this will still work out. Heavenly Father probably has a plan that's better than I can even imagine!  And not just for my hearing, but for all the other blessings He has promised me, too!  I am thankful for the hope that that brings!