Check out Mandy’s interview with Pop Culture Classics.
Here’s an excerpt:
As a college freshman, majoring in music education, Harvey’s connective tissue disorder suddenly wiped out her hearing. “I am profoundly deaf in both ears. So it has to be extremely loud, like a jet engine, for me to hear it. But you feel sound far before you actually hear it. You can feel motorcyclists as they go by. You’re not entire sure what that sound was, but you can feel the sound smack into you. Or when you go into a concert, the bass replaces your heartbeat. There’s sound everywhere. It’s inescapable. But it’s been 10 years since I’ve been able to hear somebody’s voice… including my own.”
She was devastated and spent a year feeling lost. “I wish that I could say that I charged forward and I had a smile on my face the whole time and I never lacked hope. But that’s really not true. I gave up. And I made the mistake of associating my entire identity with one single dream. And when that dream died, I felt very much like I died. And I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore.
“And so I had to relearn life again. I had to relearn a brand new world of dealing with things without sound, figuring out how to not be afraid in the dark, because you can’t hear people coming up behind you. Or closing doors and feeling like they’re never latching, because you can’t hear that audible click. I had to relearn life before I could even think about figuring out myself.”
One Comment on “Mandy interviewed for Pop Culture Classics”
Mandy cannot hear a door closing on her and so all doors are open to her. She has special courage and has used her talent joyfully for herself and to give strength to those who need it. She is special indeed.