My journey started from his journey

Love you boy.

I do not intend to discriminate any of my kids (nieces and nephews) but I do have one very special kid that truly influences my life journey.  My journey of stepping into the “ear world” has started because he already started his. His name is Muhammad Ateef Zhofran, my fourth nephew.  I never shared his story before because I thought it was something confidential. But I want everyone related to know how he already affected my life without his consent, I believe.

Last time I was determined that I was going to be somewhat a medical doctor. I never thought of the difficult journey, but rather it was a lifelong ambition. So I thought it was mandatory from the beginning. Never did I know that Allah predetermined that I was meant in another specialization of the health field which is called Audiology. Never heard about it and never knew it will someday be something very major in my life. But I was so determined to choose it from all the options of the allied health sciences and at that time I don’t know why.

What I do know is my urge is very much induced by the condition of my nephew. Ateef was diagnosed to have profound and severe hearing impairment when he was about one and a half year old. At that time I do not realize how severe his condition was. What I do know is maybe Allah has set my path with him as the precursor. So, I keep my stand tight and decided to go with it. And I did.

Now, I’m on my way of finishing my first year of Bachelor of Audiology. And what I can say is the more I learn in this course, the more I get to know his side of the world. And I do quickly become emotional when I knew the real condition of his impairment. How silent his world was, how difficult for him to learn and how it’s hard for him to make people understand. The real condition of his ear, the possibility of accumulation of amniotic fluid, the part of middle ear involved and the afterward effects.

I know I have to be stronger than today so that I will discover his world without flowing tears. But sometimes I just can’t help myself and I know that is because I love him so much and I want him to be fine. And thanks to him also he opened the door for me to understand other types of disorders for other children about his age. And MasyaAllah there are numerous types of disorders suffered by millions of children around the whole world. And there are only related to communication!

He taught me many things without his consent. He taught me to be emphatic to children with disorders, to be patient and understanding and to be helpful. How I wish I can be of a help to them. Because they never wished for the condition, they are gifted with it. But how important for us to try to understand and help with their learning progress.  They will ease our path to Jannah afterwards insyaAllah.

Ateef had undergone cochlear implant last year and regained his hearing Alhamdulillah. But we do know that it is only the beginning of his new journey of learning and coping with everything. Soon, by years I will discover more about his current world and what may be helpful to it. I want to be strong and resilient so that I will withstand the coming episodes of his real world. I want him to know that Acu is struggling to learn everything for him and his friends in the future insyaAllah. I want to be the best audiologist, speech therapist, psychologist and linguist for him so that he will need nobody else.

O Allah, please ease my path of seeking knowledge and

O Allah, please put him under your full protection and please ease his path of knowing the world.

You Indeed Know Best  :”)