A Mother Stirs Audience
with Her Victory Over Deafness
Though
neither a businesswoman nor local political celebrity at this mayor's
prayer breakfast , a young mother received the most applause and a standing
ovation from the nearly 300 in the audience.
In telling her detailed story
of battling sudden deafness , Kari Olson obviously added an added spiritual dimension to this annual event .. ( Later in this report we'll let Kari tell
her own story word by word. )
This
breakfast in the Chicago land suburb of
Arlington Heights was one of thousands to be held this year throughout America . The National
Prayer Breakfast was held Feb. 8 in
Washington, D.C. , the first one held in
1953 with President Eisenhower. The Arlington Heights breakfast ( as do most mayor prayer breakfasts ) sought to inspire
its attendees with Bible readings, prayers, and song. Like the National Prayer Breakfast, these
events make time for personal reflection
and re-dedication to God, as well as an opportunity to restore and reaffirm the
spiritual heritage of America .
At
this Arlington Heights event on last Feb. 1 , there were prayers by three pastors of different denominations, an
Old Testament reading by a Jew , and two soul-lifting songs sung by
baritone Paddy Homan—and
bountiful and delicious food. I
asked the master of ceremonies and executive director of the Chamber of
Commerce, Jon S. Ridler , what value he saw
in the breakfast: "
People connected to each other ," he replied. " They were touched by the Gospel
messages ." And the
business-oriented men and women there
? "They came away hearing how their
faith is of value to their business."
The Mayor: ' It's Important to Have People
Of Different Faiths Together Here '
As I was
preparing this report, Arlington Heights Mayor Thomas Hayes sent me this email:
" We are
truly blessed that Arlington Heights has supported the Mayor’s Community Prayer
Breakfast for 31 years now. It says a lot about our community. My goal as mayor
has been to make the Prayer Breakfast a truly meaningful event for all who
attend and to ensure that they leave spiritually encouraged and inspired.
 |
| At the Arlington Heights breakfast, Mayor Thomas Hayes with his predecessor Arlene Mulder |
"As
a village of strong, but varied faith, I believe the Prayer Breakfast is a very
important way for our community to kick off each new year. The focus of the
event is on the importance and power of prayer in our daily lives, and as Kari
Olson said this year, 'We can’t do it alone. We are not meant to.' It is my hope that all who attend -- whether
they be local leaders, business people, or just interested citizens —
understand that there is an abundance of both help and hope out there for those
in need.
"I am a Christian, but do believe
it is important for us to bring people of different faiths and traditions
together to develop closer relationships and understanding as we both work and
live together. Our common beliefs and goals are definitely more alike than they
are different. "
Kari Olson. a
Brave Trekker, Tells Her Story
The large hotel dining room in
Arlington Heights went quiet and the waitresses
stop moving when Kari Olson began here story. These were her
words:
 |
| Kari Olson sharing her story about overcoming deafness to am audience of 300 |
The first problem I remember having with my
ears was in November 2010. I was 8 months pregnant [ with our third baby when I
was struck with paralyzing episode of vertigo. The vertigo left a shrieking
tinnitus and full feeling in my ears that an ENT [ ear, nose, an throat doctor
]] guessed would go away after I delivered the
baby. Well, these problems did not go away after he was born; in fact they were
getting worse. I was in and out of the ENT’s office for 2 years after that: hearing
tests, steroids, an MRI and CT scans, diet changes, autoimmune testing, vertigo
testing.There were no conclusive answers as to why this part of my body was
giving me such trouble. We couldn’t really even pinpoint what the problem was!
Finally,
the result of one hearing test showed that compared to the test before it, I had lost a significant amount of hearing,
and was now “profoundly deaf”. All my other problems (vertigo, tinnitus,
fullness, stiffness in my neck) were side effects of the hearing loss. I was
fitted for hearing aids and saw an audiologist regularly to track the rate of
my hearing loss, which seemed to be
declining quickly. And in August of 2014, I finally lost it all. I had been
sent to an ear specialist that year, Dr. Sam Marzo, We asked him, “We never really were told what
happened or why… What do you even call this?!” He said, “You have what we call
SUDDEN HEARING LOSS”.! ( Aw man That’s not even a cool name! )
Life
with my hearing in decline was like nothing I had ever experienced before.
Sudden Hearing Loss had a negative effect on every part of my life:
● Body: As my ears were losing their proper
function, my body was under such duress! Vertigo was random and debilitating,
straining to hear caused stress in shoulders and neck, stress from tinnitus had
me tense for years. Even my voice became lower, I couldn’t hear myself speak
and annunciation was on the verge of getting sloppy.
● Our marriage felt the effects: It was so
difficult to communicate!
● Energy and ability to parent our small
children well was very low.
● I became awkward and distant with extended
family, friends, neighbors, church
members: One day at church, I was welcoming a new family, and I was struggling
to hear, frustrated to the point of tears...I grabbed my kids and I left the
building sobbing. That’s a super awkward way to meet the pastor’s wife!
● My emotional health: Prolonged grief
(grieving every time a hearing test showed more loss, grieving for a “normal” life and future), depression
set in and panic attacks started. I felt like I was failing at everything, especially
my family) everyday. I knew it was my ears that were failing...but I felt like
I was a failure. “I am such a failure, I can’t do anything well…”
● My personality: Deep insecurity in social
situations; became withdrawn and quiet,
isolated and self-conscious. My usual confident approach to life was replaced;
I was a cowardly lion that I hardly
recognized.
● We began to tell more people and asked for
prayer regularly. Now our friends and church knew that we were struggling and
needed help.
● We had new rules of communication in our house:
Tap mommy to get her attention, point to what you’re talking about, face her
and make sure she can see your lips, tell her when a timer is beeping, or when
someone is calling her name. They became my ears, my family.
● I lost the ability to talk on the phone,
listen to music, or understand anything amplified. I relied heavily on my
ability to lip read, our family learned a little sign language .
● We installed a flashing light for our
doorbell, I used closed captions whenever I could .
● I was always worried about safety, fearful
that I wouldn’t respond when someone was hurt, fearful I would neglect
something important. One morning I couldn’t find my car keys, searched the
house, only to find them in the car...I had left it running all night in our
detached garage!
● I was constantly on edge, constantly dealing
with changes and uncertainty.
● Every morning, every single morning, I would
wake up and wonder if I could hear
again...but I could not.
I
had to come to terms with my irrevocable hearing loss, It was so ODD when my
husband or the kids had to introduce me as "this is my wife Kari, she
can’t hear you.” Or, "Kids, “that’s
my mom, she’s deaf!”
Finally,
Cochlear Implants
I did finally, admit my need for a permanent
hearing intervention and received 2 Cochlear Implants in 2015. Based on my type
of hearing loss, and the fact that I was a hearing person for the first 30
years of my life, Cochlear Implants were the right choice for me. The Cochlear
Implant is an amazing invention! It’s essentially an artificial nerve threaded
through my cochlea, activated by two magnets that open up my ears to hear! The
inventor, Graeme Clark, is one of my living heroes! This was not a restoration of what I had before, this was
NEW hearing, electric hearing...
At
first, sounds were very distorted, my
ears were opened and I heard so much ; I just didn’t understand what I was
hearing. I remember running into the room where
my kids were playing because I
had heard a huge crash...They looked at me like I was crazy when I asked , “Are
you ok, what happened?!” They said, “Tommy sneezed.”
The
longer I’ve had my Cochlear Implants, the more familiar these alien sounds become. I
am at the point now where almost everything sounds like how I remember it...Music
is slower, but should get clearer as time goes on. (I am still deaf when I take
off the external part of the implants. ) I'm 100% dependent on this device to hear. I see my
Audiologist periodically for tune-ups and tests, and I will for the rest of my
life. BUT I have had great success, I can hear very well with my electric ears!
It’s an answer to our prayers. My family and I couldn’t be happier with the
life Cochlear Implants allow us to have.; I rejoice every morning when I put
them on .
' 'Lessons in the Silence'
There
are many things I learned over these years and from the trials I just described to you, and I call
them my “lessons in the silence”. Here are two I think are appropriate to share
with you this morning at this event: 1. Prayer Matters: I have heard it said, and I believe it’s true:
that the power of prayer lies in the power of the God I pray to...Not in the
size of my faith or the eloquence of my prayers...and it’s a good thing too!
Because often my prayers were so simple. Simple like: “Help Me!” (When I didn’t know what to do
next, when I didn’t know how things were going to work out and I was discouraged and tired and knew I couldn't t
do this on my own...
Oh
, how often would I pray “help me”! I
have to be honest with you here: As my circumstance became bleaker and bleaker,
my thoughts and my heart hardened in anger, bitterness, and jealousy, pride…”I
don’t deserve this!”
My
reactions and responses to my circumstances were so strong sometimes they
shocked me! One day I thought, Yes, my
goal is to hear again, and we are doing everything we can to help my broken
ears ...but if I continue to let bitterness take root in my heart, and anger
control the pattern of my thinking, I’ve got a bigger problem on my hands than
just my ears. Now we’re talking about a broken soul. So, I did what the Scriptures
teach us to do in the Lord’s Prayer…”Oh Lord, Forgive my sins.” And I give all
the glory to Jesus Christ, who loved me and died on the cross for my sins so
that I can ask for complete forgiveness. I had a friend in MI who recently
passed awa;, she was chronically ill her whole life. A few years ago she wrote
to me, “Kari, you have a secret weapon at your disposal and you need to use
it!” She said that secret weapon was thanksgiving, the act of giving thanks in
prayer.
This
advice is in step with Scripture: 1 Thessalonians
tells me “in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus
for you”. So I made a concerted effort to say thank you often for anything and
everything. AND WOULDN’T YOU KNOW… Thanksgiving changed me! It changed my
outlook and gave me joy! Once I started to look for things to be thankful for,
they just kept rolling in. So, three simple prayers: Help Me, Forgive Me, and Thank
You!. These cause me to look UP to God, taking my focus off myself and my
overwhelming circumstances, changing me from the inside out . Prayer Matters!
The
second lesson I want to share is : Your work matters. It mattered to me, it
mattered to my family… and I THANK YOU [ the breakfast audience ]for your work!
The time, expertise, talent, service, and the effort you put in your work could
make a difference to someone else! We could not have gotten through this tragic
loss without you, the faithful members of this community. Your difficult circumstances
or your trials, may be different than mine, but I know you have them! Hear from
my story that we CANNOT do this on our own...My hope for you is that you’ll
remember that Prayer Matters. Even 3
simple prayers like Help Me, Forgive Me, and Thank You could make a difference
for you!
We
all stood and applauded—and applauded.
A Prayer from the Rev. Elizabeth Jameson
The
Rev. Elizabeth B. Jameson , rector of the local
St. Simon's Episcopal Church, offered this prayer:
And may we love one another: May
any pain or suffering we experience in body, mind or spirit be that which
binds us in love to friends and strangers alike. Rather than isolating us,
may our challenges alert us to the suffering of all Your beloved children and
this fragile earth our island home. As we allow You to touch with love
our trauma and pain, may we be inspired to touch with love and tenderness
the pain of all Your people. We ask that our struggles be
the catalyst for our compassionate action in the world, inspiring us with
the courage to speak truth to power and to judge all decisions—political,
economic and personal—by whether they align with Your command to love each other as You have
loved us.
Finally, we ask Your blessing upon this gathering that You may reveal Yourself to us through the stories we hear, the fellowship we share and the food which nourishes us. We give thanks to You for the blessing of our life and for all who are serving us this morning, at our tables, and through the offering of scripture, story and music. May Your love and joy permeate us that we may embody Your love in the living of our lives for the transformation of the world You so love. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Finally, we ask Your blessing upon this gathering that You may reveal Yourself to us through the stories we hear, the fellowship we share and the food which nourishes us. We give thanks to You for the blessing of our life and for all who are serving us this morning, at our tables, and through the offering of scripture, story and music. May Your love and joy permeate us that we may embody Your love in the living of our lives for the transformation of the world You so love. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
Robert R. Schwarz
The End
All
comments are welcome.
rrschwarz7@wowway.com
© 2017-18 Robert R. Schwarz
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