Deafness

Most deafness is genetic; Kiril Sokoloff was born with a deafness gene. In his book Personal Transformation Kiril defines the genetics of his hearing impairment. His Grandmother was completely deaf and his Father was in his 60s when Kiril was conceived this created the 100% certainty of deafness.

The first memory Kiril had of his hearing difficulty was at age fourteen, he shares his recollection in his book Personal Transformation.

“I could not hear the words of songs, as all my friends could, and I was very perplexed. The next signal occurred in college. Loud music, noisy bars, rock bands—we never congregated in a quiet place, and hearing became increasingly difficult. My friends complained I said “what?” over and over. They teased me so unmercifully that I visited an audiologist during Christmas vacation. I discovered I had a significant loss in the high-frequency-speech range. It was the first of hundreds of hearing tests.”

Kiril expresses his confusion, “what was the cause of [this]?” He began looking for answers. Was it my allergies? No. Was it the loud music? No. Only to learn about the genetics that were accountable for his hearing loss long after the fact.

“Deafness leads to isolation and loneliness. You retreat from life; you withdraw from social contact. You avoid parties, weddings, and restaurants—in fact, any social gathering.”

Increased hearing difficulty brings fear. In the mid- 1980s, when Kiril’s hearing loss accelerated, he never imagined he would be totally deaf in 10 years. In the spring of 1988 Kiril went skiing in New Mexico. Six weeks later, his “good ear” was totally deaf. “Maybe the high altitude reduced circulation to my auditory nerve. Who knows?” “The suddenness of the loss scared me profoundly,” Kiril states in his book. “I knew then it was only a matter of time until my other ear left me for the next world. But that knowledge did nothing to eliminate my growing fear of the unknown and the mounting stress I felt as I tried to cope in a world that was becoming quieter and quieter.”

Friends began reading his first draft of Personal Transformation and understanding how lonely and frightened Kiril really was.

One friend asks, “What should I do so you can hear me better?”

Kiril says; to communicate with those that have hearing difficulty:

Speak clearly. Enunciate clearly. Speak slowly. Project your voice. Never talk to me when my back is turned, your back is turned, or if you are not close to me. Face me when you talk. Do not mumble. Do not put your hands in front of your face. Clarity is more important than loudness. Watch my eyes and my face to see if I understand. If I don’t register recognition, use different words to say the same thing.

In Kiril’s experience: “Deafness means constant failure. Every communication—whether with the waiter at a restaurant, the clerk at a hotel the airport check-in person, the customs official, your young children or grandchildren—involves failure and stress.”

To learn more about Kiril Sokoloff and his ability to make the transformation in his life from negative to positive. Taking a handicap and turning it into an asset.

Read his book today Personal Transformation.