Dealing positively with deafness

MARELI van Niekerk (34) was diagnosed at three years old with a rare condition, Henoch Schonlein Purpura (HSP), where blood vessels become inflamed. When she was in primary school, it was picked up she had single-sided deafness in her right ear.

However, research on the sickness shows no link to hearing loss at all, but the possibility does exist. “Soon after it was discovered, I was fitted with a hearing aid but I felt self-conscious, awkward and uncomfortable, so I stopped wearing it. I grew up making sure I had the person speaking to my left side or face to face,” said Mareli.

“My wonderful husband Danie, was one of the few people I consciously made aware of my disability and was quite surprised by his supportive reaction back when we were still dating. He accepted me for who I was right from the start. I was able to let my guard down and be myself around him and never once did it cross my mind that my disability might be carried over to our children.

“It came as a huge shock when our firstborn, Tegan (6), was diagnosed at the age of eight months with severe to profound hearing loss in both ears, but we had to face reality and make a choice. Thanks to the amazing support of Danie, we decided cochlear implants were the only way forward for her, and Tegan had her implants done in 2013 and 2014.

“In the back of our minds we struggled with the thought of having more children but once we’d decided to deal with whatever came our way and shortly after Tegan’s second implant, I became pregnant with identical hearing twin girls. I was and still am blown away by this miracle,” Mareli added.

Still feeling self-conscious Mareli made the decision to try and fix her loss of hearing, and had a bone bridge implant specifically designed for single-sided deafness. “What a life changing choice it was with Tegan as my inspiration. “Accepting my disability and focusing on my abilities helped me conquer great obstacles in life. What makes you different, is what makes you beautiful.

“Tegan was announced Miss Deaf SA Petite earlier this year, a first-time pageant for children younger than 18 and we are extremely proud of our superstar child, who is in a mainstream school and very proud of her magic ears. With Tegan’s success and my focus on achieving my own goals, I have begun a fundraising project for a pageant – Miss, Mr & Mrs Deaf South Africa (MDSA ), and have designed sign language t-shirts in order to raise deaf awareness in the community.

“It is an interesting and fascinating way of communicating and I’m hoping to inspire people to learn, even if it’s just to spell their name. You can request your own t-shirt, for example – Dare to Dream, Dare to be Different, Believe, or your own name to make it unique. All proceeds will go towards MDSA.

“The mission of the pageant, which will take place on October 13 at Atterbury Theatre, Pretoria, is to stage a production of the highest calibre, featuring deaf people who are adaptable and flexible. In addition to this we would like the pageant to become a vehicle which drives awareness and understanding of our deaf community,” Mareli concluded. For orders of t-shirts, donations or if you’d like to be a sponsor, please contact 082 786 8550.

Also Read: 

Tegan lives life to the fullest

The Vanessa Goosen story – 16 years in a Thai prison

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