The Journey

Some (Ok, most) of what I plan to say tonight may seem over dramatized to anyone else reading this, but I want to show how carefully God led me to this place. :)

Right after college, I got a wonderful job teaching kindergarten. I loved it!!! My students were precious, their families were involved, my boss was the greatest and my coworkers were some of my favorite people. I wanted to stay there forever. The only downside to the job was the low pay (Christian schools don't pay well, but it didn't matter at all). But some things changed and I felt that I needed to find a new school. It was a very trying time for me. I prayed and prayed and prayed but nothing seemed to happen. Finally, two weeks before school was to start last August, I was offered a new job. I was so thankful but scared, too!

This job is wonderful! I had no doubt that God led me to this exact position when I signed the contract but never dreamed I would love the job this much. My kids are great, the administration is supportive and I love my coworkers! I was on cloud nine! I was thankful for a better income and insurance as well but it didn't really matter.

Then in October, a high school friend told me about the Esteem. At first, I couldn't imagine being able to pay for the device but God is so faithful! Before I even knew this was a possibility, He paved the way and made it possible. I didn't have a clue how much this job would affect my whole life.

Long story short, as soon as I heard about the Esteem, I called my mom and my best friend. They were excited too. I sent my audiogram to Dr. Shohet and he called that night to say my scores showed I'd be a great candidate. I scheduled a CT scan and waited a LONG two weeks for results thanks to an imaging center error. Finally I got word that I was good to go and scheduled my preop testing. After that, I started sharing the news. It's been overwhelming and wonderful to feel so much support!! My pre-op was Dec. 19. Hearing Dr. Shohet say, "you're a perfect candidate" was incredible. Since then it's been a waiting game. :)

To be honest, I can't believe this is really happening. I never in a million years dreamed this would be possible...but it is! How great is our God!