At only 14 years old, Harper has already proven to the world she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to. Her parents, Whitney and Bryan, describe her as confident, resilient, and the best big sister to her three younger siblings. But Harper’s journey began with uncertainty when she was born with significant hearing loss.
Unexpected Beginnings
Whitney and Bryan were thrilled to welcome their first daughter into the world in October of 2010. Serving as Pastors in a church for a community of only 200 individuals, they were unsure what to do when they found out Harper had not passed her newborn hearing screening. After receiving the news their daughter may have hearing loss, they were informed to follow up with Hearts for Hearing.
At only six weeks old, Harper was diagnosed with significant hearing loss and her parents made the choice to pursue Listening and Spoken Language. “We knew that Harper would most likely be the only child in her class, and possibly her school, with hearing loss. After much prayer and consideration, we decided that it would it be best for her to be able to listen and speak to her classmates and friends.”
The Road to Sound
Fit with hearing aids shortly after diagnosis, Harper and her parents began weekly visits to Hearts for Hearing for Listening and Spoken Language Therapy with Miss Lindsay to encourage her listening and spoken language development. Even though Harper was unable to receive a cochlear implant until after her first birthday due to FDA regulations at the time, her mother still fondly recalls those early days to Hearts for Hearing, saying “From day one, we were given hope of a bright future for Harper at a time when we were uncertain as to what we should do. We were made to feel loved and cared for, not only from the staff, but also from other families ahead of us on this journey, which in turn gave us so much hope.”
At 13 months old, Harper received her first cochlear implant and experienced the gift of sound for the first time.
For her parents, watching Harper’s world expand was nothing short of magical, her mother recalls, “It was so amazing to watch her experience so many firsts like hearing our voices, fireworks, the ‘Happy Birthday’ song, and so much more!”
Onwards and Upwards
After receiving her cochlear implant, Harper’s listening and spoken language skills began to flourish. In addition to her weekly therapy sessions with Miss Lindsay, Harper attended Listening for Littles and Bridges Preschool programs at Hearts for Hearing before transitioning to her local public school. Those early years laid the groundwork for everything that followed.
“She has thrived in academics and extracurricular activities all along the way and we know God provided greatly through Hearts for Hearing in getting Harper early access to sound and speech,” her parents reflect.
A Bright Future Awaits
Today, Harper is a confident 14-year-old who refuses to let anything hold her back. She’s active in FFA and FCCLA, passionate about her church youth group, and manages her church’s and youth group’s Instagram pages with creativity and skill.
Her crowning achievement came at FCCLA’s National Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, where she competed in the Chapter Service Project – Portfolio STAR Event and Harper found herself on stage as they announced the winners.
“We watched some other events and who won. Once they got to my event, we went on the stage and they called third place… second place… then first place, which was me! I was so shocked and so happy!” Harper recalls with excitement.
As Harper approaches her 15th birthday in October, Bryan and Whitney are filled with optimism about what lies ahead. “Harper is such a bright and talented young lady, we are looking forward to all that God has planned for her! We have great confidence that whatever she chooses to do in life, she’ll have every opportunity to succeed!”
Harper herself is excited about the possibility of attending next year’s FCCLA National Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., ready to continue making her mark on the world.
Advice for Fellow Parents on a Listening and Spoken Language Journey
Bryan and Whitney offer this wisdom to other parents beginning their journey:
Trust the process: “Trust the journey and process of the appointments, therapy, mappings, etc. Take a deep breath, step back and look at the big picture because it can be hard in the day to day to be able to see where your child has been and how far they have come!”
