CHALLENGES FOR A FAMILY – THE INTERRUPTED LIFE XIII by Eleanor Shepherd

         

From Google Images

Our friends Gordon and Jean were thrilled with the interruption in their lives of welcoming their special Canadian Centennial project on July 24, 1967 – their son, John. Although Jean had contracted measles during her pregnancy, her obstetrician assured her that her baby would probably perfectly normal. However the doctor was wrong and John was born deaf.

            It was when John was about a year old that they became aware that something was not right. When he was 18 months old a hearing test at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children confirmed that he was profoundly deaf and communication became a crucial issue of family life. The hospital tried to help in offering them a program that encouraged them to believe that some day John would hear and speak like any other child. 

            John was equipped with hearing aids and every day his mother Jean would give him lessons provided by the Auditory Training centre at the hospital. Following the programs outlined in weekly visits to the centre did not yield the desired results and instead produced only frustration for both Jean and John as they sought to communicate with one another. 

From Google Images

            Hope came from an unexpected source. When John was six, his father Gordon was able to

attend a conference on deafness at the University of Toronto. The principal speakers were two deaf professors, a Canadian and an American who were at that time both working in the United States. They were making a plea for the use of American Sign Language for all deaf people, and in particular for educating deaf children.

            Immediately on learning of this possibility, Gordon signed up to take sign language lesson in Toronto that were offered at the Evangelical Church for the Deaf. Jean also came on board and the whole family joined a class at Holy Names Catholic Church that was taught by a priest who ministered to deaf people.  Relationship stress began to decrease in the family as signing opened doors to essential communication.

            Not only was communication with John made possible, but unexpected opportunities for his siblings emerged, as his sister Catherine who was close in age to John eventually found her profession. She became a sign language interpreter and has helped and continues to open doors for hundreds of other people who are deaf, so they may fully engage with the world around them.  

            Not only did the family learn how to communicate with sign language, they came to understand the importance of using every tool possible for what came to be known as Total Communication.  Gordon was instrumental in the organization of the first conference on Total Communication in Ontario that paved the way for this approach to be introduced to the educators and today is available to all deaf students in the province. 

            This family not only became more aware of and open to the needs of those who were deaf, they also advocated for the introduction of Total Communication for the deaf in schools throughout Ontario. 

From Google Images

            However, John’s problems were not all over. At the age of 13 he was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, a disease that is hard to manage for those who can readily communicate verbally. To him this was more of a trial than his deafness. 

            It was the diabetes that caused John’s untimely death in June 1997, shortly before his thirtieth birthday. Gordon reflected, “John was a dear loving son, a very affectionate young man who had a difficult road to tread in life.” Maybe more than anyone Gordon realized the obstacles that John had to face.

            Getting a job is never easy for anyone with a handicap and it is difficult not to become discouraged or depressed and feel life is without purpose. Often our identity is closely related to what we do. John was blessed in that in spite of challenges like this he was able to maintain a great sense of humour that helped to carry him through. 

            John was also a person of faith. It was a hearing friend who connected him with a small Baptist Church with a ministry to the deaf in Hamilton. His parents were present at his baptism. The assurance comes that his mother, Jean has already been reunited with John and that his father Gordon knows John and Jean await him on the other side. These realities sustain the family in the grief they have all carried through John’s battles.  

Word Guild Award
2009

Word Guild Award
2011

Word Guild Award
2018

Eleanor served the Salvation Army in Canada and France. She engaged in Philanthropy with Health Partners International of Canada and Opportunity International Canada. Her passion is serving the whole person.

            Eleanor contributed to My Father, Our Father a book of prayers published in the United Kingdom, and Journey with Friends a special collection of articles.Stories in Hot Apple Ciderand Christmas withHot Apple Ciderreceived awards as well as her solo book More Questions than Answers. Christianity Today gave the book a four star rating. Various articles received recognition by The Word Guild and The Canadian Church Press.