Hearing Loss Magazine May/June 2013 - 14

A Family’s Story about

By Julie Fisher

Madeline’s Milestones

Julie Fisher, Walk4Hearing program
assistant, interviewed Jason Bozzone,
father of two-year-old Madeline, who
was born with bilateral hearing loss;
a sloping loss in her right ear and
moderately severe-to-profound hearing
loss in her left ear. His family walked
in the Pennsylvania Walk4Hearing last
September.

How did you hear about the
Pennsylvania Walk4Hearing?
We first heard about the Walk4Hearing
through the Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia (CHOP), where Madeline’s hearing loss was diagnosed. Then,
we heard about it again when we enrolled Madeline in the Clarke School
for Hearing and Speech. We knew that
this was something our family had to
participate in, but we had only four to
five weeks until Walk day, so we had
to get organized fast.
With only four to five weeks to
prepare, Madeline’s Milestones
managed to be the top fundraiser for the Pennsylvania
Walk4Hearing. What was your
fundraising strategy?
Our first step was to establish a presence
on Facebook, and we were blown away
by the response. Not only did our family
and friends contribute to the Walk,
but also previous students of mine,
former colleagues, and even high school
classmates gave to Madeline’s Milestones.
In addition, we reached out to
our extended family through e-mails
and phone calls. We were immediately
overwhelmed by all of the support. We
were especially grateful to Madeline’s
great aunt and uncle, Robert and Lisa
Scavetta, who live in New York. The
Scavettas went beyond just donating to
the team, which they did generously;
they also shared Madeline’s story with
14 Hearing Loss Magazine

Jason Bozzone and daughter, Madeline

their network of friends and colleagues.
All of a sudden checks for $500 started
rolling in from people we did not even
know! It was amazing.

What was your Walk day
experience like?
We prepared as if we were participating
in a pep rally. We organized our team,
prepared our Madeline’s Milestones
team t-shirts, and painted cars with the
Walk4Hearing colors of purple and
green, and the logo. We wanted to make
this day as memorable as possible for
Madeline.
Arriving at the Walk, we were
pleased to see there were walkers of all
ages, as well as activities for all participants, both hearing and those with
hearing loss alike! Since we have two
other children, Peter and Sophia, it was
important that they could participate
and feel a part of the experience too.
As the morning wore on, the
Walk4Hearing director, Ronnie Adler,
took the stage to welcome everyone.
We were completely shocked when
Ronnie called our names and asked us
to come up to the stage for the “Top
Fundraiser” award for the Pennsylvania
Walk4Hearing. We felt so honored to be
standing in front of hundreds of people

who gathered that morning for one
reason—hearing loss. Being on
that stage, we realized how big of an
issue hearing loss is and that we want
to contribute to the bigger picture.
During the Walk, we spent a lot
of time talking to other families and
learning about their experiences. As
we walked and talked we felt as if we
were becoming part of a bigger family.
Additionally, meeting people of all ages
with hearing loss gave Melissa and I
hope for a bright future for Madeline,
one where hearing loss will not hold
her back from any of her dreams.

If you had a message for parents
who discover their child has a
hearing loss, what would it be?
I would say that it is natural to feel
devastated at first, but then you must
move on and realize that the glass is
really half full. You just have to see the
silver lining. It’s important to focus on
how you are going to help your son or
daughter, and then do everything you
can to uncover all the resources available
that will aid in his or her development.
Besides your family and friends,
what resources have helped
Madeline, and your family,
adapt to her hearing loss?
The Children’s Hospital is the greatest
thing that ever happened to us. We are
so grateful to the nurses and doctors for
detecting Madeline’s hearing loss and
providing us with support, guidance,
and additional resources. We are also
very thankful for CHOP’s Caterpillar
Program which loaned Madeline her first
pair of hearing aids.
In addition to CHOP, the Clarke
School for Hearing and Speech, the
Delaware County Intermediate Unit, and
HLAA have all been vital to Madeline’s
development.
Hearing Loss Magazine May/June 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hearing Loss Magazine May/June 2013
