Claire and her twin brother, Riley, were born at 24 weeks and weighed 1 lb 12 oz each. While in the NICU she contracted MRSA and received ototoxic antibiotics that saved her life but took her hearing.

WISE was the best beginning in school that our son James could have had. The listening, spoken language, and interaction with other children with hearing needs helped prepare James for a thriving life.

The Lord knew we were going to be a part of WISE long before we did! We were in the adoption process from India, and Cora came across our path. We did not think we could provide for her needs as she has profound hearing loss, and there were other children with different needs that we were more able to care for within our family.

Aiden is a triplet. He and his two sisters were born at 27 weeks. Aiden weighed 2lb 6 oz. at birth. He was very sick when he was born and stayed in the NICU for 3 months before coming home.

Me’Lajeh attended the Alabama School for Hearing, now known as WISE for two years. At WISE she was in a small group with children who were wearing hearing aids and cochlear implants just like her.

Our son, Nicholas, was four when we adopted him from China. We found out he was deaf and decided to proceed with cochlear implants even though we knew we were so far behind.

When Noah was born, he failed his newborn hearing screening and was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. I was surprised, as we do not have a family history of hearing loss. Noah received bilateral hearing aids at nine months, and bilateral cochlear implants at 18 months old.

Sawyer’s hearing loss journey began when he was a baby. He received bilateral cochlear implants, and his parents chose Listening and Spoken Language as his primary method of communication.

Teagan was diagnosed with moderate to severe hearing loss at 2 months. She’s been wearing hearing aids since she was 3 months old. She spent three years at WISE (from age 3-6), where resources were made available to her that she wouldn’t have had otherwise.

Laura was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss at 20 months old. Without the daily instruction of and the wonderful therapists at WISE, Laura would not be where she is today. Everyone at the school was so helpful and accommodating to get Laura the services she needed.