Laura McCullough-DeLorme is 38, from Green Bay, Wisconsin, and is an aspiring playwright.  Her blog is Little Orange Kitchen.

My hearing loss was gradual at first and I chalked it off to people mumbling. Eventually my husband noticed that I was constantly asking him to repeat himself and that I didn’t pick up noises like loud birds outside our window or even the cat meowing in the next room.  I finally went to an audiologist.  I have sixty percent loss in both ears.  To discover the loss was equal in both ears scared me. The doctor suggested hearing aids.   I started to cry and left the office.   I continued to avoid the topic, but when my husband and I went to a play, I realized that I was missing most of the dialog and blinked back tears for the entire performance. I sat there thinking that all I wanted was to have my own plays produced and that by the time that happened I might not be able to hear them. It was overwhelmingly depressing.  More…

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