When Michelle Hu Lapid was first diagnosed with hearing loss, her mother was told she would probably not go beyond a third grade reading level.
Fast forward 35 years, and Michelle has become a pediatric audiologist and chef, military wife and mother.
We’ve talked to her as part of our Community Spotlight series, to gain insights and inspiration from others in the hearing loss community.
Growing up with hearing loss
When Michelle was an infant, she was diagnosed with mild hearing loss, but she was also diagnosed with Enlarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome/Pendred Syndrome.
“My mom was told that I would probably not go beyond a third grade reading level,” Michelle says.
As a direct result of her diagnosed condition of EVAS, she was to suffer steady progressive hearing loss each time she had a fall hitting her head.
“This happened in first, third and fifth grade. By age 10, I had profound, bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.”
During her senior year in college, Michelle had another turning point. She was sitting with her mother in a lobby waiting for a hearing test. Having recently suffered a sudden drop in her hearing, her mother turned to her and said that perhaps she would make a good audiologist, having first-hand experience with hearing loss and hearing aids.
“I was still unsure of what direction I wanted to go after graduation and this suggestion floored me,” Michelle said. “Yes, I wanted to help others in a healthcare setting but I just didn’t have a pull to a specific field. That year my hearing came back with the help of intratympanic steroid injections but I was already filling out applications with the goal to attend the Northeast Ohio Audiology Consortium.”
To read the rest of this interview go to Hearing Like Me