My Mother, My Faithful Companion

When I was young and shooting TV commercials, my mother always accompanied me on film sets. She wanted to make sure that I felt at ease, that I was treated well and that I saw filming as a game rather than a job. She didn’t want me to grow up too fast! She always made sure that my childhood and adolescence were as normal as possible.

For as long as I can remember, she has shared her passion for cooking with me. She worked for many years as a food stylist on various TV shows; in fact, she kind of gave rise to this profession. She also shared her tips and recipes with young people as a cooking teacher.

One day, as we shared a good meal, we realized that if we combined our talents we could make a pretty good cooking show! She had the experience, curiosity and sense of showbusiness; I was attentive to details, organized and in my mid-twenties. We complemented each other wonderfully, and our work relationship turned out to be as fruitful as our mother-daughter relationship! My mother also has very fond memories of that time: “We were already close, but working together has brought us even closer together. The project made us happy, we wanted to do it so bad. At first, I was afraid that something would go wrong. But it never happened. It lasted for ten years and was just fun and happiness.” Naturally, the audience has largely contributed to this success—they’ve been there every day and embraced our folly!

Even after slowing down professionally, my mother has always remained very active. She won’t stop! She enjoys going out, spending time with her grandchildren and being on the lookout for everything. Hearing well is therefore very important for her, as is her health in general, since she has so many conversations with the people around her.

Around two years ago, my mother had a hearing assessment. Everything seemed normal. This year, after noticing that she had to listen to the radio a little louder than my father, she decided to have her hearing assessed again. This time, the audiogram showed that her hearing had decreased. Yet she didn’t ask us to repeat ourselves more than she used to, and she had no trouble hearing me on the phone. However, she wanted to address the issue.

My mother has always been a very optimistic, strong and cheerful woman. Hearing loss certainly wasn’t going to stop her! She went to all her appointments with hearing health professionals, who provided solutions that suited her needs. She eventually opted for hearing aids and quickly got used to wearing them every day.

Many people wait several years before consulting a professional about their hearing loss. I think it’s important that the decision to seek professional help comes directly from the person. A loved one can point out that the person doesn’t hear as well as before, but the decision to see a professional shouldn’t be made by them. If the hearing-impaired person denies that their hearing has decreased, they might be reluctant to seek help and not be open to potential solutions.
My mother’s hearing loss was addressed very quickly.

I think my children have somehow prepared my mother to accept and address her hearing loss. She was familiar with the subject and already aware of the importance of hearing health. My mother has always been extremely close to my children. She supported and encouraged them, always with fun and love! Her support made a huge difference during this tough time, when we found ourselves in a situation that was absolutely unknown to us. My mother’s eyes shine when she talks about her grandchildren: “I am very proud of them and their success. They do so well and are beautiful to watch grow! We have many lessons to learn from them.” Our background in the field of hearing allowed my mother to notice her hearing loss very early, which made the process much easier.

Since becoming a mother myself, I have had the privilege of passing down all the beautiful values that my mother has taught me. She shared them with me without even realizing it, just by staying true to herself and being a loving mother, intelligent woman and above all... my faithful companion!

Love you, mom!