Mrs. New England

💙🦻 National Cochlear Implant Day — My Bone‑Anchored Hearing Journey

Today is National Cochlear Implant Day, and even though I don’t have a cochlear implant, I do have a bone‑anchored hearing aid made by Cochlear — and I’m celebrating right alongside everyone else.

I’ve struggled with hearing loss my whole life. After my mom passed in 1995, I finally learned what was wrong: cholesteatoma, a destructive skin growth that eats away at the middle ear. Years of surgeries followed, and eventually I lost so much hearing that I lived as a lip reader for about 35 years. I missed conversations, jokes, connection — everything. I stopped trying because it hurt too much to always be left out.

In college, I started learning ASL and was introduced to hearing devices through vocational rehab. Traditional hearing aids didn’t help my right ear at all. Later I found out why: I don’t have the bones that carry sound to the inner ear. Nothing was connected — literally.

That’s when the bone‑anchored hearing aid became an option. Surgery terrified me, but I went for it in 2016. Healing was rough, and I eventually had to switch from an abutment to a magnetic system. Lots of swelling, feedback, adjustments… and even changes after losing over 200 pounds. Turns out I just had a fat head.

But the first time I wore it? I heard people talking through closed doors. I heard the refrigerator humming. Ducks quacking (which sounded like they were laughing at me). My son being… not quiet. It was overwhelming, but it was also the beginning of getting my world back.

And music — music changed everything. As a singer, finally hearing layers, harmonies, and vocals I’d never heard before felt like magic. Adding a hearing aid on my left side made it even better.

My hearing still isn’t perfect. My brain still gets tired. But with my devices and lip reading together, I understand almost everything now. My confidence is stronger. I don’t feel like the automatic punchline when I mishear something ( ).

I’m hard of hearing with significant hearing loss, and I’ve been embracing Deaf culture — relearning ASL with my family and wanting to be more involved in the community. I’m grateful for my device every day, even on the frustrating ones.

Being able to hear is a gift. And if someone is considering a cochlear implant or a bone‑anchored hearing aid, I say: do it. It changed my life.

Today, I’m celebrating awareness, accessibility, and the courage it takes to choose sound — in whatever form it comes.

Happy National Cochlear Implant Day. 💙🦻

Cochlear Americas

Today, I honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — a leader whose courage, conviction, and unwavering commitment to justice continue to guide us.
His voice challenged hatred. His vision confronted systems built on racism and fear. His dream demanded action, not comfort.

And as I look at the world around us today, his message feels more urgent than ever.
Communities are still being targeted.
Families are still being torn apart.
Racism and hatred are still being allowed to breathe in spaces where humanity should lead.

Carrying a title means carrying responsibility.
It means using my platform to speak truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.
It means standing with those who are harmed, unheard, or dismissed.
It means remembering that Dr. King’s dream wasn’t passive — it was a call to rise, to act, and to refuse silence in the face of injustice.

Today, I honor him by standing firm in that purpose.
By choosing courage over convenience.
By choosing humanity over hatred.
By choosing to use my voice — loudly, clearly, and without apology.

Justice is not a dream we remember. It’s a future we build.

Today, Connor and I headed to the Annual Garlic Harvest at Nezinscot Farm in Turner, Maine — and let me tell you, the moment we walked in, the smell of roasted garlic had me hooked. 😍 We got to taste their perfectly roasted garlic on fresh, warm bread baked right there on the farm… and yes, it was every bit as heavenly as it sounds. I even scored a jar of pickled garlic scapes to bring home — because a queen knows you never leave without a little something fabulous. Garlic to plant, garlic to cook, garlic to live for — now that’s what I call a harvest worth celebrating. 💛✨

I just watched this video where a man was sentenced to 2,500 consecutive life sentences, 1,000 extra years, and even 200 more for the afterlife. Just in case hell has early release… he’s not going anywhere.

Honestly? More abusers should be getting sentences like this. Too often they walk free while survivors carry the trauma for life. That’s not justice—that’s a broken system.

As Miss Auburn Classic Beauty, I use my platform to speak up and speak loud. Through my work with Finding Our Voices, I stand beside women fighting to be heard, believed, and protected.

This sentence isn’t just rare—it’s what should be standard. Because abuse destroys lives. And it’s about time the punishment matched the crime.

We’re done being quiet.

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