It was Sing-Along Night again at DIB Coffees of Hawaii yesterday. This time, I chose to sing ‘When you believe’, which was originally sung by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. This was one of the first songs I learned upon joining the school choir in Form One.
I chose to sing this song because it gave me emotional comfort and spiritual encouragement to not lose faith in 2005 as my residual hearing gradually diminished. The rapid hearing loss forced me to give up studying for a full cert music diploma in college. As I struggled to come to terms with my hearing loss that year, I had to fight to raise USD58,600 in funds for surgery to remove the causal brain tumor and preserve my life.
For a music performer to lose her hearing was hard. But the need to raise funds and save my own life unwittingly brought out my inner strength necessary for survival and also acceptance.
Even though I can no longer hear today, but I have gained much more than what I have lost. I have learned and grown, including what faith truly means.
Above is a video of me singing, “When you believe”. It’s somewhat out of tune, because I am deaf while my left vocal chord and pallette are paralyzed. So please listen to me with your hearts.