The Beginning Sign- Last Monday: I got a call that morning from a mother that had lost her toddler, Regan, to cancer. Regan was in Amelia's toddler program at the Atlanta Speech School. She had lost her hearing due to chemotherapy. I had not spoken to her mother on the phone since her passing two years ago. The mother had found a few unopened envelopes while going through Regan's items that day. One of the envelopes was from me with a picture of her daughter I had taken at school. At one point in our conversation, I told her about the unfavorable vote that Let Georgia Hear had received a few weeks ago. She told me about a special moment she experienced in the hospital in Regan's last days. Regan had been using a few baby signs, but only when prompted. On one particular day her mother said that Regan looked up at her and signed spontaneously "cookie". I did not know whether to laugh or cry at the sweet story. I hung up the phone and started thinking about that story. You see this little girl on her death bed when everything else was shutting down still had the desire to communicate. It was A SIGN, it was her sign. Our children who are deaf/hard of hearing deserve that basic yet powerful right to hear and communicate without it being attached to a price tag. This is why the cause for Let Georgia Hear is so important. http://www.letgeorgiahear.org/ .Speaking of signs, I turned my thoughts to questioning why two years later those envelopes were found on this particular day? I am superstitious about the ties of life and death, so I started getting worried. I had prayed to Regan when she passed to be an angel that watched over her classmates from the Speech School. Now I started wondering was she coming to me to prepare me for something....was it A SIGN?
The Sign Shows Up: A few hours later I got a call that Laila, one of my close Speech moms, was being taken to hospital to have her twin boys. It was not her due date.! My anxiety built. Was Regan saying hello from Heaven on a joyous day of new births or was she coming near because these babies needed an angel? That afternoon the twins were born relatively healthy. My anxiety subsided and I thought maybe Regan was just saying hello and don't forget me. There is a sign that I wrote that sits next to the Angel Christmas tree at our house. "In Life there is Death. In Death there is life." I went to bed that night with a reaffirmed believe in that statement.
More Signs: The story does not end there. On Tuesday, I started making plans to visit the hospital to see the twins-Lucca and Liam-but things kept happening. Thursday arrived and I finally was headed to the hospital. I entered the lobby and to my surprise was another Speech School mom, Carianne. Seconds before we reached the room, Laila received the news that the initial results of one of the twins hearing test was bad. I cannot put into words many of the emotions that were felt and discussed in those following hours. I was asked to sit by the bedside as the ABR was being administered. An ABR is where they attach electrodes to the baby's head and record brain waves in response to sound. As I sat there flashbacks started coming of Amelia's ABR. It had been four years since I sat with Amelia in my arms and had been given the life altering news. This time I understood the numbers being recorded, but understanding doesn't make the reality any easier. I understood the life changing moment I was sharing with the family. I have two kids with hearing loss and now Laila was being inducted into this club. It's like you know you have been here before, but the journey is different each time. Lisa, another speech school mom, entered the room. I don't believe it was a coincidence. All us speech moms had tried to get there earlier in the week, but this was the time we were suppose to be there...It was A SIGN we were all suppose to be together at that moment. So let me tie everything together. I first must add that Laila was not at the speech school when Regan attended so they did not know each other. A few days passed after the emotional hospital visit. Laila and I were texting about upcoming Hamm school events, because we are co-presidents of Hamm Center PTC.
Here are the texts:
Laila: Hey, did the book orders come in?
Me: Don't worry.
Laila: Let me know if they do not come in because I will contact REGAN.
Me: Who is Regan?!!!!
Laila: She is the girl that has been helping me with ordering books for the Hamm Center kids.
I froze. A few days ago I told Laila the whole story and she learned about Regan. She said that in a lifetime most people only meet one or two people they consider to be close friends. We speech moms have found a group of these friends. None of us chose this path and honestly some days we would not choose this path for anyone, but we are starting to see THE SIGNS of why we were brought together. Initially, we were brought together for support, but as the story unfolds I am starting to see that higher powers are at work. We are changing lives and changing laws.
IT WAS A SIGN!! Regan listened to my prayer and snuck in all these hints this past week to assure us that she is watching over our kids as they journey through hearing loss.-Scarlett Giles (pics from Gala, Hamm ornament party, Kenan Hanukkah Party)
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