BEING a good cook at home with friends and family is absolutely nothing like cooking in a restaurant kitchen where you must be able to not only take instructions but also dish them out.
Deaf chef, Samantha Schoeman, has been battling to cope and keep her job because of her hearing was full of smiles last week when she received a new pair of hearing aids which were fitted pro bono by Dr. Kara Hoffman of Thompson & Hoffman Audiology in Essenwood.
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Schoeman, who could not contain her joy, said she was really excited to receive the hearing aids because she had lost her hearing dramatically over the past few years.
“I never thought it would be possible, this will go a long way in helping me in my career. I really love to cook, cooking helps me overcome everything, it takes me to my own world and takes away all the negative. I am happiest when I cook and it brings out the best in me. I have loved cooking from a very young age, I remember saying to my late grandmother that I wanted to be a chef,” said Schoeman.
Schoeman, who is also an avid traveler, has already been to Thailand and Cambodia. ” I love cooking pastries, Asian meals and learning about their culture and cuisine. I really hope my dream comes true and I am able to get a cochlear implant that will give me the ability to communicate orally and to hear environmental sounds that I have never heard before,” she said.
“I have been very fortunate at my current employment because I have a very helpful and amazing kitchen staff. I would also like to say to those who have a similar problem not to give up in pursuing their dreams and never let somebody get in your way,” she said.
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