Book Review: "Padapillo" By James Abbott

Imagine being born hard of hearing and nobody notices but your sister?

Bridget is based on this true story in which she was eventually fitted for a hearing aid but not before being developmentally delayed and hearing impaired. Keep in mind there's approximately 3 in 1 k babies born deaf or hearing impaired.

It's excruciatingly difficult for parents and harder for younger children to express themselves in such fashion as to acknowledge and define the source of such hardships.

I know when I was younger I was fitted for tubes in my ear. To this day I have issues with hearing and I've been mistreated because people think I'm ignoring them.

My father is a Navy Veteran in the Cold War and he too has issues hearing. He was fitted with a hearing aid but has to turn it to extreme levels to hear and if you get close to him you can actually hear its sound waves emanating from it. The low buzzing noise that's difficult to endure for those with normal hearing as it's a low pitched sound.

I recall myself the emotional toll it took to sit in the glass room at a local hospital and have these tubes put in my ear - feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and alarmed even scared.

In addition, later in my years upon having my own children they too had problems. My son was born with vater syndrome and he too couldn't hear. At first it was come and go. As he became a few months and was bedridden having to be elevated at a 30 degree angle after two months in NICU the fluid built up creating his difficulties.

As his parent, as a single mom, as a first born, I was told he'd be developmentally delayed, and would require physical therapy. He showed them at a young age that doctors aren't in charge. God is and he's a blessing from God.

That same boy is now a young man. Soon to be 21 years old. He's just been asked to do the speech for his college graduation with honors and three honor societies in play.
He was mocked for graduating from a private Catholic High School with honors and with perfect attendance for all four years.

If only they knew he had spent his early years in a NICU fighting for his life and had a baby born next to him that became deceased.

We had many scary moments with code blue distress calls, respiratory issues from food getting lodged in his throat as he had esophageal atresia, yet nothing was as difficult as him being unable to tell us what's wrong.

Luckily, his hearing is now fine but it was quite an experience in that regard to uncover the mystery especially with his underlying issues and heavy mucus secretions.

Children are a gift from God and I'm blessed with three that all had medical issues but for which they're all high honors and excelling in athletics and academics.

Like Bridget in this story -they find their way- or make their own path-and forge ahead.

Thank you to Valerie James Abott for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.