International Cochlear Implant Day makes me reflect a new chapter in my life where I stopped trying to make my cochlear implant invisible. On our first date, I grabbed his hand and placed it on my coil site. Not as a test. Not as a joke. But as a declaration. This is me. All of me. When I was a kid I was proud, I showed off my devices. But then in college and even graduate school when I was single I was self-conscious. For years, I hid it. Adjusted my hair. Downplayed my deafness. Softened the language. Then, I decided I wasn’t going to lead with apology anymore. Cochlear implants are technology. They are tools. Not cures. But they can also mark moments of identity, courage, and self-acceptance. If you wear one, love someone who does, or are navigating your own journey - you don’t have to shrink. This is you. All of you. #InternationalCochlearImplantDay