Our daughter Nel, was diagnosed as profoundly deaf at 6 weeks old. Having failed her newborn hearing screening test twice, and then failing the ABR (Auditory brainstem response) tests, the audiologists confirmed the news we had dreaded, that she was profoundly deaf. When we heard those words, we were absolutely heart-broken, and cried for weeks. With no family history of deafness, it was a total shock to us. I kept thinking back to the days when I was pregnant, and feeling so sad that she had never heard her big sister, Anni talking to her everyday whilst she was in my belly. I was heartbroken that she had never heard me say “Caru ti Nel fach” a million times to her in the early weeks of her life. 

One of the first things I googled was; “How to say ‘I love you’ in sign language” and after signing this to her... I instantly felt better. It was a way of communicating with my daughter, and it made me feel so much more positive about her future. Nel is extremely lucky to have the best big sister ever. Anni has learned sign language so amazingly well, and is a very proud big sister to Nel.

A year later, we have embraced Nel’s deafness, and consider ourselves a proud, tri-lingual family! Nel is the happiest, cheekyest little girl. She knows over 20 signs which she uses daily to communicate with us. She is due to have surgery soon for cochlear implants, which should give her access to sound..and we are looking forward to the next chapter in her life, helping her develop into a confident little lady, being proud of her deafness, and her “magic” ears! 

I ran the Cardiff Half Marathon in 2017 when I was 3 months pregnant with Nel. This year, I will be running the Cardiff Half for Nel, and all the other Deaf Children in the Uk. I will be raising money for The National Deaf Childrens Society. Our amazing family, friends, Teachers of the Deaf, and the NDCS have been a great support to us over the past year. I would really appreciate any pennies you could spare for this amazing charity. 

My personal goal (competitive..me? ☺️) is to beat my 2017 time of 2hrs10seconds, to raise awareness of deafness, and raise lots of pennies for the NDCS! 

Diolch am gymeryd yr amser i darllen fy nhudalen - Thank you for taking the time to read my page. 

Elen x