Meet Our Families

Profile: Henry, Ying and Kimberly

Kimberly was diagnosed with severe hearing loss at the age of five months. “Our dream was broken,” says her father, Henry.

“We wanted her to speak both English and Chinese just like her older sister does,” says her mother, Ying. “We couldn’t imagine it then, and we were heartbroken.”

They bought Kimberly hearing aids, but they didn’t seem to help. When they learned about John Tracy Clinic, they called immediately. It happened to be a Tuesday and they were invited to sit in on a parent class that very night.

“Everyone was so friendly and helpful. It was like a little heaven,” says Ying.

The family joined JTC’s Parent/Infant Program soon after. They learned in parent class that children must have more amplification than adults have because children still need to learn speech and language. Without hearing the full range of sounds, Kimberly might never speak clearly.

“This was very difficult for us,” says Henry, “but the people at John Tracy Clinic never hesitated, and helped us with everything. They called our audiologist, they sent her test results, and they monitored Kimberly every week. They had so much experience with children.”

The family found a pediatric audiologist who worked with the Clinic to get the right hearing aids with the proper settings, and Kimberly’s speech is now getting clearer and clearer every day. It’s so clear, in fact, that Henry and Ying have placed her part-time in mainstream daycare to prepare for a regular elementary school. She is also beginning to understand many words and phrases in Chinese.

“Thanks to John Tracy Clinic,” says Ying, “we learned how to rebuild our dream, and we are so grateful.”

“We’ve even become better parents,” says Henry. “Kimberly has made me listen more carefully to both of my children. Now, I am able to love them even more.”