-
Callie Foster and her husband were told their son, Luca, was born ‘profoundly deaf’
-
They decided to learn American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with their son
-
Now, they share their family’s story online and raise awareness for the deaf community on Instagram and TikTok
A diagnosis changed the Foster family forever.
Callie Foster and her husband learned their son, Luca, was “profoundly deaf” shortly after he was born in 2021. Doctors initially believed the infant had fluid in his ears when he didn’t pass the newborn hearing test, but they later received a “life-changing” diagnosis.
According to Medical News Today, profoundly deaf means that the person can hear nothing and will depend on lip-reading or sign language. When Foster and her husband researched, they found that more than 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
“We don’t have any deaf family members and didn’t know anybody in the deaf community, and we were at a loss. We went through a grieving process and were in denial for a bit,” shares Foster when talking exclusively with PEOPLE.
Foster says everything happened quickly for her family. Almost immediately after Luca’s diagnosis, doctors wanted to talk about cochlear implants, not “giving us much time to process anything outside the fact that we understood that there was a time sensitivity around getting him access to sound and language.”
In her research, Foster learned that only 10% of hearing parents learned sign language, and the percentage for other family members is even lower.
Callie Foster
The Foster Family signing
“That broke us. We thought, ‘How is that even possible?’ The deeper we dove into those statistics, the more we discovered that the deaf community has a rich culture and ASL is a rich language, and we didn’t know any of this. We immediately decided to be a part of that 10% and started taking ASL classes that night.”
Related: Deaf Football Team Was Underestimated and Mocked — Until They Started ‘Beating the Pants Off’ Opponents (Exclusive)
“It set us on a trajectory of a life-changing path because becoming a mom is so life-changing in itself, but then becoming an advocate and learning a new language and finding out about a new community, and immerse yourself in a community that isn’t set up for you because the lack of hearing parents as a presence,” Foster shares.
Foster says she “dove head first” into learning ASL and “focused on the day-to-day, as opposed to the bigger picture of becoming fluent.” For her, that meant learning baby words to communicate with Luca and building on that vocabulary. She and her husband practice ASL together, in an exercise called “turning your voice off.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“We are three years in on our journey. Luca is bilingual,” Foster shares. “He completely understands ASL and English. I have taught myself through various modules, free apps, and paid classes, and my husband and I are continuing to educate ourselves with ASL further.”
Callie Foster
Callie Foster and her husband Leo
Foster says she was “lost and grieving” when she first got Luca’s diagnosis and “turned to the internet to find solace, community and other moms.”
“I found a mom, and we talked. I was crying constantly with this newborn in my arms, and I felt bad because he can’t hear me sing, can’t hear the music, can’t hear my voice,” Foster recalls. “She said, ‘You have to keep singing, keep talking, but most importantly, start learning sign language because all your baby needs is love and language.’
Related: The Bachelor‘s Abigail Heringer Tells Her Story of ‘Hearing Loss and Hope’ in New Memoir The Deaf Girl (Exclusive)
Foster has been sharing her family’s story on TikTok and Instagram since 2021. Social media has helped her family immensely, with people reaching out to her to offer advice, communal support, and confidence for Foster to “take the next step of advocacy and awareness.”
“I see an opportunity to raise awareness in the most beautiful way and change a community’s outlook on this diagnosis. When hearing parents get this diagnosis, which they will, maybe they’ll find me,” she says. “I want to be that voice of ‘You can do this. We can do this.’ It’s hard, but we can do it, and it’s for our children. It’s to benefit our children, for access.”
“Through all of this, I would love to lead people back to the deaf community naturally. It’s so beautiful. It’s so rich,” she continues. “There are so many deaf creators. Many people I meet ask, ‘How do I start? Where do I learn sign language? Where should I start?’ “
Foster credits a lot of deaf creators on TikTok and Instagram — like Emilee Segura, Estefani and Oscar — and resources like The Sign Language Center and Boston University’s Deaf Center with her education and awareness.
“I want people to know that it’s not something to fix. It’s not a detrimental diagnosis, it’s such a beautiful door that’s opened.”
Read the original article on People
