Close your eyes for a moment and picture this: you’re sitting in a waiting room under fluorescent lights that hum just loudly enough to remind you they’re there. A stack of outdated magazines sits on the table—issues no one has touched in years. But what you notice most isn’t the décor. It’s the silence.

Not the peaceful, meditative kind. The heavy kind. The kind that settles into your chest and refuses to move.

It’s the silence of the unknown.

For many parents and grandparents navigating childhood hearing loss, this is where the journey begins: in a room where a single conversation can alter the trajectory of a child’s life.

Maybe it’s the moment before a diagnosis.

Maybe it’s the moment before deciding whether to pursue cochlear implants.

Maybe it’s the moment when hope and fear collide in equal measure.

This silence is visceral. It’s the weight of love, responsibility, culture, identity, and the future all pressing in at once.

The new book When Silence Speaks dives directly into these moments—those quiet, suspended spaces where families confront questions they never expected to face.

Through intimate stories and honest reflections, the book explores what it truly feels like to navigate childhood hearing loss:

• the uncertainty,
• the courage,
• the cultural considerations, and
• the profound desire to give a child every possible opportunity.

This mini‑article is adapted from an 18‑minute podcast conversation that brings these themes to life.

It captures the emotional landscape families walk through long before any device is chosen, any therapy begins, or any outcome is known.

If you’ve ever supported a child with hearing loss—or if you simply want to understand the human side of these decisions—this is a journey worth taking.

Continue reading the full article, catch the podcast, join Cochlear Implant Wellness Community, explore the hearing loss survey, find out how you are feeling today, or learn more about the powerful guide for families and caregivers.