Lilia Smith, President

I currently reside in Camano Island with my husband of 30 years, Jeff, and two Australian Shepherd dogs, Abby and Baby.

My hearing loss was discovered when I attended kindergarten, where I wore one body hearing aid. In my teen years, I started to wear all in the ear hearing aids and my current ones are behind the ears.

I have been tested for cochlear implants and it was determined I was borderline for consideration. My high percent in lip-reading was the deciding factor for me to not have cochlear implants.

I have been working for the Boeing Co. for 27 years, currently as an application analyst. My work, teammates and downstream organizations have been wonderful to work with in understanding my hearing loss and being accommodating.

I have been involved with the chapter in Everett for the last 10 years. Many of the roles I have been tasked to do include secretary, librarian, vice president and will be president in the next term.

I also keep busy with activities such as line dancing, which I also teach, soccer (indoor and outdoor) Tai Chi, scrapbooking, reading and Suduko.

 

 Steve Pettijohn,

 Vice President

I have been living in Maltby for over 20 years with my wife of about 27 years,

Karen. My hearing loss is a bit stranger than most. I had been having trouble understanding some speech, and detecting some noise for most of my life. As a small kid I went to speech therapy. I rarely knew the words to my favorite songs or heard certain instruments playing in the back ground that others heard.

Yet, I made it through 14 years of military service, school for auto mechanics and later for electronics. According to hearing tests up until four years ago my hearing has been perfect.

A few years ago, after tests started showing a decline in my hearing, I started going to what is now Hearing loss Association of Snohomish County. At first I didn’t know if I really belonged, though I did have many of the same experiences as they did. Well I must say the people here have been warm, friendly and just a good bunch of people to have as friends.

I have had a hearing aid for about four months.

 

 

Myrna Kain,

Registrar

 

 

 

I have been hard of hearing since birth. I have sensorial hearing loss. I have worn hearing aids since I was 7 yrs old, went to a deaf school when I was in 4th grade (or 9 yrs old). I learned a lot of sign language, but in 6 month I went back to regular school, and had no one to sign with… When I turned 50 I got my Implant.

I have been a member of Hearing Loss Association of America for 14 to 15 yrs now and love it… It is a great place to learn about myself and my hearing loss, and meet other people and make friends also. Sometimes I wish Rocky Stone was 30 yrs younger and had started Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (now HLAA), then, maybe it would have been easier for a lot of us, in our work place, with families, etc. Instead of getting the expression “0h, she hears when she wants to", we could have educated them earlier. Any one I see now with Hearing aids, I always ask them if they know about HLAA.

 

 

 

 

Cibyl Kumagai,

Secretary

My hearing loss began around the age of 14. I have nerve damage and tinnitus, treated by hearing aids. Over the years my hearing has declined progressively. I went from one to two hearing aids, each succeeding aid becoming stronger.

I first learned about the Hearing Loss Association by picking up a newsletter in my audiologist’s waiting room. Because meeting dates conflicted with my activities, I began reading the newsletters on this website, then joined HLAA and began receiving the “Hearing Loss Journal”.

January of 2003 I finally attended a chapter general meeting. There I found a warm welcome. I was amazed to see captioning. If I didn’t understand a word that had been said, I could read it. What a delight to be able to understand everything. No one seemed annoyed if asked to repeat what they had said. Here were people like myself, struggling to hear and communicate accurately. Here I have learned so much about hearing loss, hearing aids, assistive listening devices, my rights as a disabled person, coping strategies, available assistance, and how wonderful it is to have supportive friends who understand what you are dealing with.

When taking a regular active part in this chapter you will find personal and valuable rewards as you meet some wonderful people who use the many new technologies to help them hear and communicate better.

David Pearson,

Treasurer

I have lived in Marysville for the last 35 years. My wife Kathy and I will have been married for 17 years this coming September. We have 3 kids, Kyntasha, 12 years old, and Lucas and Danissa, 8 years old

I’ve had a hearing loss all my life. When I was 7 years old, I wore one body hearing aid. Later, I got two “behind the ear” hearing aids.

With my hearing aids and speech-reading, I do pretty well understanding other people. With no background noises, my word comprehension is about 85 to 90%

I had worked for the Snohomish County PUD for 15 years, then was laid off when my position was eliminated last year. I’m currently looking for work.

I have been involved with the chapter in Everett for the last 13 years. I have been president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary among other things, and will be treasurer again in the next term. I’m also the Newsletter Editor.

I’m involved with other activities with my kids such as school, sports, cub scouts, girl scouts and the YMCA.

 

Chauncey Christofferson,

Historian

I was born January 26, 1912 at 1601 West Grand Ave. in Everett, Washington. (By the way: the house is still standing there).

When I was a little over a year old we moved to Marysville, Washington, and after a brief time moved to some acreage just east of Marysville, where I grew up with six siblings. That is also where I attended school and graduated from Marysville High School in 1932.

Following several jobs in several years I enrolled in Business school, Bible school, college and then went teaching for a few years. In 1955 I started Seminary and finished in 1958 with a COT degree (Certificate of Theology, I think).

After serving a number of churches in several states I retired and moved back home to Marysville to the home place and had a home built with my wife, Nellie (Risa) Christofferson and children. Our three boys are all out on their own. Nellie died May 14, 2004 and now I spend time in two different places, Stanwood and Marysville, at the home place. I am still doing ministerial work.

My hearing loss became severe enough for hearing aids in 1986 and I have been a member of HLA-SnoCo for most of its existence.