Deafblind Awareness Week – Cheyanne’s Story

Cheyanne was born at 32 weeks and spent 45 days in the NICU, during which time it was discovered she had bilateral chorioretinal coloboma causing severe visual impairment. During that same stay Cheyanne failed her newborn hearing screening and would later be diagnosed with profound hearing loss in her left ear and severe loss in the right ear. Up close Cheyanne is able to see enough to utilize American Sign Language to communicate. She currently wears a BAHA on a soft band to help her hear in her right ear and preparing to go in for surgery in August to get a surgically implanted BAHA to improve sound quality. Despite these challenges she is very quick to make her needs and wants known and is one of the brightest little girls. She continues to defy every odd and expectation while simultaneously teaching others the importance of inclusion.