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I originally thought I would feature Liesel because she’s active in the LDS community, & anyone who has seen my recent postings on facebook, knows that I have been the go-to-home for both Jehovah’s Witness & LDS missionaries.  I wanted to ask some serious questions about the LDS religion… I have found it fascinating for a long time (not in a way that makes me want to join, but more like “how does gravity work,” type of curiosity)!  My friend, & Stella’s former ballet teacher, Liesel, agreed to do a Q&A with me.  I was planning on asking about Mormons, stereotypes, etc… so I could at least understand the beliefs, & why they believe what they do. She is also the judge for a “Caption Contest” I just posted, which shows two missionaries in my home enjoying some friendly conversation.  The winner, is at the bottom of this post

Meet Liesel: She was my daughter’s ballet teacher for two years, & she is an amazing woman.  She’s a fabulous Mother, wife to a busy Attorney, DANCER, an active Democrat, active in the LDS community, & she is passionate about her work with Hands & Voices. Two of her three beautiful girls, are deaf.  While getting to know Liesel in a quick facebook message session, I decided to scrap the Mormon thing.  Her work for hearing loss & her own circumstances, are so interesting & admirable, I decided to focus on that instead (& include some photos of her with the girls… dancing).  She does have a lot of faith in her church/religion, which she says has carried her through, but she was woven with some pretty great fabric as it is, in my opinion. Read further below about what caused the hearing loss of her two girls & further about her work.

When Liesel was pregnant, she had a disease called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG)  that lasts the entire duration of pregnancy. HG is a debilitating and potentially life-threatening pregnancy disease with severe nausea and vomiting. “I had felt like I had food poisoning, a migraine and mononucleosis all at once for the past eight months and was more than ready to return to normal life.”

When the nurse told Liesel that her baby’s hearing test came back as “referring,” she went home & found an Audiologist.  It was confirmed that her baby girl was experiencing hearing loss.

Three & a half years later, they had another daughter.  She had no hearing problems.

Another three & a half years later, another girl came… & this time, the hearing was an issue again.  The journey with Liesel’s family is going to be lifelong.  They speak fluent American Sign Language, & are a force to be reckoned with.  I am so inspired by Liesel, & by the work that her family does for this cause.  Hands & Voices is a parent-driven, non-profit that helps family find resources & information they need to improve communication & educational outcomes for their deaf children.  Liesel works tirelessly for this cause, & for her children.

To read more about Liesel, hearing loss, & Hands & Voices… click HERE.

And the winner is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   TIM WELTY! “Romney got to spend his two years in Paris. I’m stuck in Westminster with this dolt…”  Starbucks is on the way, Tim!