Braelyn's Story

Our daughter’s story began like so many others—with joy, hope, and overwhelming love. But shortly after her birth, we found ourselves on a journey we never anticipated.

She failed three newborn hearing screenings. Doctors reassured us that this was common, likely caused by fluid in her ears. We held on to that hope for weeks. But when her first auditory brainstem response (ABR) came back inconclusive—indicating signs of potential hearing loss—we knew we needed clearer answers.

Once the fluid in her ears resolved, a second ABR confirmed what we had been bracing for: our daughter has bilateral moderate-to-severe sensorineural hearing loss.

Even though we were preparing ourselves for this possibility, receiving the official diagnosis was still incredibly difficult. Like many parents, we experienced deep grief—mourning the life we had imagined for her and stepping into a world that felt unfamiliar and uncertain.

But we weren’t alone. Our early intervention team surrounded us with guidance, encouragement, and care. One of our daughter’s providers shared words that forever shifted our perspective: “Your daughter is fearfully and wonderfully made. She was placed in your family because you are the parents she needs.” Those words became a turning point, offering strength and helping us reframe our journey.

At five months old, our daughter received her first set of hearing aids. We began learning American Sign Language (ASL), committed to raising her in a bilingual, bimodal environment, supporting both spoken language and sign.

As we continued to adapt and learn, we pursued genetic testing to better understand the cause of her hearing loss. That’s when we received another unexpected diagnosis: Usher syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects both hearing and vision, leading to progressive vision loss over time. This news was heartbreaking, and we were faced with a new kind of grief, one for the vision loss our daughter had not yet experienced but that would eventually impact her world.

In time, though, we found strength. We discovered resilience we didn’t know we had. We connected with the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Usher syndrome communities—families, individuals, and advocates who helped us find not just understanding, but also hope, clarity, and purpose.
At 2.5 years old, she started a DHH preschool program and in just three short weeks we watched her blossom. Her verbal language grew rapidly, and her sign language skills grew right alongside. 

We can’t wait to see what God has in store for our vibrant, determined, joyful, and endlessly curious daughter. We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but we know this: she is capable of amazing things. We’ll be by her side every step of the way—learning with her, advocating for her, and reminding her daily that her story is powerful, her voice matters, and her life is beautiful. We are endlessly proud of the little girl she is and excited for the person she’s becoming.