Marie-Josée Taillefer, Lobe Ambassador

I recently agreed to be the ambassador of Lobe clinics and of hearing health. I’m touched and extremely grateful that they chose me for this challenge. For almost 30 years, hearing health has been part of my life, so I’m excited to collaborate with hearing health and communication professionals.

I feel this partnership is a perfect match for me. You probably already know my story: my two children were diagnosed as deaf at an early age. The news shocked René (Simard) and I, since we weren’t familiar with hearing problems. We had no family history and didn’t know anyone with hearing loss. We weren’t even able to recognize the signs of hearing loss, which may also be the case for you.

When Olivier was 11 months old, René and I received confirmation that he was deaf. Since he was born, we had noticed that he was quiet—very quiet— but we never would have imagined that he couldn’t hear. For us, everything seemed normal; he was making sounds and would sometimes react when an object was dropped.

We really started having doubts when we realized that Olivier couldn’t be calmed if he couldn’t see us. The sound of our voices wasn’t enough to calm him down. We finally decided to consult hearing health professionals and learned that he was deaf. At that moment, our world started to change.

Two years later, when Rosalie was born, hearing loss screening had improved. A new detection device for newborns was on trial at the hospital and we were able to try it. Rosalie eventually received the same diagnosis: she was deaf. Once again, it came as a shock to us. However, this time we were aware of the benefits of early diagnosis.

You see, our experience with Olivier helped us understand that the sooner we detect hearing loss, the sooner we can do something about it and prevent language delays. When a child’s hearing loss goes undetected for several years, it can have a major impact on language development.

Through my involvement with Lobe, I want to encourage people of all ages to take care of their hearing health. We don’t talk much about hearing loss, so as ambassador of hearing health, I intend to teach people about hearing health professionals’ services and invite them to make an appointment if they have any doubts. By allowing people to find all types of hearing health professionals in one place, Lobe clinics greatly facilitate the consultation process. It’s a great advantage, knowing that many people with hearing loss don’t consult.

My involvement is also a way to give back to all of you who were there when my family and I needed it the most. When we announced Olivier and Rosalie’s deafness, our life was totally transformed. We didn’t know exactly what we were facing and, believe me, it was scary! We received a lot of testimonials and messages of encouragement. You have no idea how important this support has been to us. We have developed a relationship of trust with you and I can’t thank you enough.

Four times this year, I’ll write a column in Lobe Magazine, in which I’ll discuss subjects that matter to me. In this column, I’ll try to listen to you, advise you and bring you a little comfort. I will also tell personal stories, answer some of your questions and, of course, talk about hearing health.

I am also thrilled to announce that I will be giving conferences all over Quebec! To learn more, click here.

I’m excited to step into this new role that will allow me to feel involved and work even more closely with people!

I look forward to talking with you!