The U.S. women’s basketball team took gold this year at the 2012 London Olympic Games. Although the entire team has earned a round of applause, Tamika Catchings definitely deserves some added praise because she competed not only with the players on the court, but with her hearing loss as well. But Catchings is just one example of an individual triumphing over hearing loss. There are many people throughout history who have achieved success without healthy hearing. Thomas Edison developed hearing loss after a childhood bout with scarlet fever. There are accounts of Edison having trouble focusing and understanding speech in school, but his hearing loss didn’t hold him back. His ingenuity and perseverance led to revolutionary inventions, like the long-lasting light bulb and the phonograph. Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time, struggled with hearing loss throughout most of his life. But even when he was almost completely deaf, he still found a way to compose and play beautiful music. And then there’s Helen Keller. If you need further proof that you can achieve great things despite hearing loss, just take a moment to consider this woman’s life. She overcame both blindness and deafness, defying all the odds by learning how to communicate with the world around her, an ability most of us take for granted. She also became the first deaf-blind person to earn a college degree. She went from being considered mentally handicapped to becoming a champion of the disabled, a political activist and a respected public figure. So, don’t let hearing loss defeat you. There are countless individuals with hearing loss who have lived full, productive lives, and many of them didn’t have the benefit of hearing aids or our current understanding of audiology. You can win the fight against your hearing loss. Start today by scheduling a hearing evaluation. And, in case you missed it, check out our blog post about U.S. Olympic athletes with hearing loss to learn more about these remarkable individuals.