Beethoven’s hearing loss is well-known, but it’s not well understood. Alice Keath, host of ABC Classic’s Beethoven 250, chats with audiologist and horn player Ian O’Brien about what the world really sounded like to the famous composer.
Have a listen to the second video. I have severe hearing loss, so this is about what I would hear (without) my hearing aids:
Link to full article: https://www.abc.net.au/classic/programs/special-features/what-did-beethovens-deafness-sound-like/12317228
You would have been 10 today! I miss you every day and hope you’re enjoying running free! Until we meet again my lovely.
Earlier this year my longtime friend Barbara signed up for the NYC lottery Marathon. I wanted to seriously get back into running again so I thought this would be a great idea for me as well (it’s on my bucket list). Interestingly enough, this year the registration was up 50% according to this Canadian Running article. It is their 50th Anniversary after all so that totally makes sense.
This meant I needed to get busty and create a training plan! After searching around online for a bit, I found this app Run with Hal and created a customized training plan and then signed up for the Ottawa Race Weekend Half marathon…..one has to have incremental goals! The NYC Marathon race date is the 1st of November so I would have plenty of time to train.
This was to be my very first 100% solo race. I normally always ran with my running buddies, but this time, I was choosing to do this on my own.
Training began January 30th and it was going really well. I was getting stronger & faster and my recovery time was getting much better.
On February 26th I learned that I had not made the NYC lottery, but I was okay with that; I would continue training.
As covid19 was progressing I didn’t realize how stressed I was. Last week as I went out on my Wednesday run I felt totally 
deflated….the Ottawa Race Weekend race organizers were updating us on whether the race would go ahead or not, I was questioning if I should keep training etc. It seems I had some frustration to burn off as my 1 km pace was 4:05!
Then a few days later I saw this on Twitter. Michelle was not concerned if there was going to be a race… she would STILL finish her half marathon training! This is exactly the motivation that I needed. Thanks girl!
I did my long run last Sunday (16km) and felt on top of the world once it was done. Running is what I need to stay mentally strong during this pandemic. #covid19
Keep on keeping on everyone, we WILL get through this! Do things that will help ground you and get outside and release some endorphins!
If running is not your thing here are 8 ways you can release endorphins naturally:
The start of 2019 brought much heartache 💔…. I received news at the beginning of January of the sudden death of my dearest and beloved friend Said. Months later my lovely George crossed the rainbow bridge after a long battle with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM).
2019 also brought many blessings…
I welcomed my little side-kick Chocolat after my friend Said passed away; and then my heart led me to adopt his big sister Daffodil in July. (Birch Haven Rescue).
I had many lovely family gatherings and outings including; The Wizard of Oz with Live Orchestra with Kristine as well as Michael Bublé, awesome camping adventures and of course I always look forward to attending Gabe’s weekly soccer practices.
I got some new ink! DYK that butterflies are deaf? 
(Just like me) and the diamond tip arrow is known as one of the hardest, toughest materials on earth! An arrow shaft with a diamond shape on it symbolizes the courage to move forward.
I participated in my first Mud Girl run with Kristine and her lovely girlfriends. (I’ve already signed up for this year’s race AND also the Mud Hero).
I attended my first Capital Pride Parade. The parade in Ottawa attracted more than 100,000 people both marching and cheering on in a glorious display of love. 🏳️🌈 #LoveIsLove
Gabriel and I attended an awesome Ottawa FC Fury experience. We both got to play with the Fury soccer players and learn some new skills. Thanks CAANEO.
As a member of Soldier On, I was able to attend my first camp. I participated in several weeks of Dragon boat training at the Ottawa River Canoe club and we finished strong with a second place at the Constance Bay Dragon Boat races in early September.
Lisawilliamscards.com
I recently went back to my Angel cards. I believe they are guiding me every day and they know what is good for me. I’m learning to trust them.
Life is always teaching us new lessons! Question is… are we listening and are we willing to put in the work needed to improve ourselves. #selflove
Looking forward to this New Year and all the Joy and Love that it will bring.
Said je pense à toi souvent et je sais que tu es un des anges qui me guident.❤️
We ended up at the Disney store and I glanced at a wall of Disney Princesses wondering which one closely represented me. At a quick glance I didn’t really identify with any of them until I did a bit of research and discovered there IS a Deaf Disney Princess. Her nam
e is Gabriella. She is a recurring character in Disney’s 1992-93 television series The Little Mermaid. She is a deaf Latina mermaid who communicates in sign language; her friend Ollie, an octopus, serves as her interpreter. Pretty neat eh!!
Last night Birch Haven Rescue did their home visit with Miss Daffodil. I am happy to say that my home met all their requirements and she is staying! 
Daffodil is six years old and an absolutely gentle girl! She is the true definition of Gentle Giant!
Chocolat is super excited!
Little Signs 🐾
The day after George passed away I took Chocolat for a walk. I ran into a lady walking her white poodle; she wanted to know if the dogs could say hello. I told her Chocolat could be a little timid and told her the story about how he came to be with me after his Papa died of a heart attach in January. Chocolat has been nicknamed George’s comfort dog since he came to live with us. Anywhere George went, Chocolat was right beside him. We chatted for a bit, and when she left I heard her say “Come on George”, I stopped dead in my tracks…Not sure I heard right, I asked if her dog’s name was George? Then I proceeded to tell her about my George who had crossed the rainbow bridge the day before.
In the clouds 🐾
A couple of days afterwards, I was sitting outside on my little deck and looked up at the clouds…and saw the outline of a dog’s head.
Dreams 🐾
The following Sunday my acupuncturist reached out to see how George was doing. She had come to the house a couple of weeks earlier to see him and provide some therapeutic treatment to help with his back. She told me she had a dream about him.
I had an immense connection with George and he was greatly loved. All these little signs have been heartwarming as I have had a very hard time emotionally dealing with the grief of losing him. Which is why I reached out to Pet loss Support group of Ottawa. I went to my first meeting on Wednesday and my take-away was to write a letter to ME from George. (I have yet to write this)!
In March 2019 I read this article where they discussed 5 reasons why losing a dog is as hard as losing a loved one:
I am a better person because of George. He taught me love, affection and patience ( when he’d react to other dogs or people). He would lie beside me on the floor and hold my hand with his paw. Losing George has been heartbreaking. I need to remember that my feelings are absolutely valid and that it is okay to need to grieve him. And if other people don’t understand, tell them that your feelings are backed by science!
Read the article here.
Photo Credit: Keshet Kennels
My sweet George has passed away. I first introduced you to George in a post I did last year when my blog turned 5. When I rescued him on Canada day in 2016 from Danes in Distress I knew that he had a heart murmur and would need to be monitored closely but I had no idea what to expect. He was initially quite thin, weighing in at 48 kg. I worked hard to get him to a healthy weight and help him build more muscle mass. We had weekly runs at Keshet Kennels (his favorite being Timberland) and I walked him every day (approx 1.5 hours). By the following summer he weighed a healthy 61 kg.
Things had been great up until last October when he was diagnosed with Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). He was first seem by Dr. Greg as he was having difficulties breathing. After ruling everything else out we were referred to Dr. Boileau one of the best cardiologist in the region.
The cardiologist prescribed a series of medications right away. Some of the initial side effects of one medication (furosemide) made him pee a lot and also made him super thirsty. He was constantly going outside and eating snow. He also experienced what looked like some dizziness; all these symptoms settled in time and he was much better after a couple of weeks.
By November 20th I started to see some weight loss. He was eating, but loosing muscle mass which seems to be a side effect of cardiac disease. By the end of January he weight 50.7 kg.
In early April I took him to see Dr Greg again as he had blood in his urine and was showing signs of incontinence. After doing a urine test he discovered that he had a bladder infection. He was put on antibiotics. He now weighed 47.6 kg.
At a follow up visit in May with Dr. Spina at the Greenboro veterinarian clinic (very close to my house) we discussed his quality of life. It was then that I knew I had to help him along and make the decision I dreaded. I contacted Claire Place Veterinary Hospice and within a few days the arrangements were made.
George died peacefully in the comfort of his own home on May 29th, 2019. RIP my lovely baby.
Thank you all for the love and compassion shown to him during his difficult time. He was greatly loved and is finally at peace. 🐾
Cremation Services: Eternal Companions
Last Friday I renewed my membership at Movati Trainyards as I had let my membership lapse for a couple of years. It was time to spread my wings and finally do this on my own again, but this time, so much stronger! For the last 8 months I have been training with Leslie at PRIME Personal Training Studio. I met her twice a week at 6:15 am to train for an hour. My goal was to strengthen my core as I’d been having some back issues and last summer I actually dislocated a facet joint and let me tell you it was almost as painful as natural childbirth (been there done that) and I certainly did not want a re-occurrence! My last MRI revealed osteoarthritis in my facet joints, so I need to change things up if I had any hope of running again and also I need to keep up with my grandson Gabriel.
I really enjoyed my sessions with Leslie (check out her qualifications). She has great interpersonal skills and her knowledge of physiology and fitness is all but unmatched. She designed the perfect training plan for me and when I was ready to do so, would switch it up and increase the intensity. Leslie is very caring and attentive to what I need, she knew what my limits were, and how far she can push them. She encourages and motivates me to do better each and every day.
But I am not quite ready to let go 100% as I will be seeing her on Wednesday nights. She is offering a weekly small group strength training class at PRIME at 5:15 pm for only $20/class.
Remember to make it count and think happy thoughts! #BeAwesome #FreshStart #Positive #fitness #PersonalTrainer #Movati #Prime #PrimePersonalTraining #GetFitwithLes #Igotthis
It’s okay to not be okay! If you or someone you know needs help, reach out! #BellLetsTalk 
#endthestigma
It was first discovered I had significant hearing loss after my Leadership course in 1990 (Now called DLP training). During my course, we were doing night time maneuvers and I was sentry guard. My job was to stand guard and prevent the passage of unauthorized persons. Anyone coming through had to provide the ‘password’. I quickly learned that I could NOT lip read in the dark and it caused some frustration for me and confusion to my colleagues around me. The next morning as we were marching back to camp, I was unfortunately the subject of many unfavorable comments because of the incident the night before.
Not my actually audio-gram.
Once I got home from my course I made an appointment with the ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) clinic at NDMC. After thorough testing it was discovered that I had conductive hearing loss, my audio-gram showed a cookie bite pattern and I was fitted with ITC hearing aids.
A couple of weeks later my hearing aids were ready. I picked them up and they tweaked the programming and I was to come back in a few weeks for some adjustments, if needed. As I drove home (in the rain) I was confused with a weird sound that my car was making…you see, I had never hear the back wiper on my car. Initially, I could only wear my new hearing aids for several hours at a time because my brain was not used to ‘hearing’ all these life sounds; which caused some terrible headaches. I was initially quite depressed when I was diagnosed and embarrassed to wear my hearing aids; I even changed my hair style so people would not see them.
Fast forward 28 years; I now wear BTE hearing aids as my hearing has progressively gotten worse (severe hearing loss now). All to say that it is definitely tough when you first get diagnosed…but it is important to follow through with treatment and seek support. I know I NEED them to function every single day.
This is a great post on depression and hearing loss: http://www.audiologypractices.org/depression-happens
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