Brave, Strong Girls is a series from cuteheads that aims to shine the spotlight on special girls who have faced challenges in their young lives and continue to be examples to their friends and strangers alike. Through this series, we hope to show that different is beautiful and that the things that make us unique make us special.

Each girl will have a special dress designed and named for her and a photoshoot just for her. Dresses will be sold at cuteheads.com and all the profits from the sales of these dresses will be donated to the charity of the mother’s choice. 

Hailey is a happy, energetic six year old girl. Born at just 25 weeks and now living with cochlear implants, she has been defying odds since her arrival into the world. In many ways, Hailey and her mom Leslie are a normal mom and daughter pair, enjoying their time together getting ice cream and attending after-school activities like gymnastics; however, they, along with dad Sam and brother Jaden, work a little bit harder every day to ensure that Hailey lives a normal life.

I sat down with Leslie to talk through the challenges they’ve faced as well as their triumphs. They continue to push Hailey past her comfort zone so she can grow and learn, and I’m excited to share their story with you today.

The proceeds from the sales of the Hailey dress will be donated to The Center for Hearing and Speech in Houston, TX. The Hailey dress is now available at cuteheads.com.

From Leslie:

cuteheads: How would you describe Hailey as a person?

Leslie: Hailey is a very happy, easy going 6 year old girl.  Her energy and enthusiasm is an inspiration to everyone around her. Just when my husband and I had a moment of doubt and exhaustion from the ups and down of the NICU, Hailey showed her strong personality to drive through the most difficult medical procedures and always resorted to the state of happiness.  

Early on, she battled with retinopathy, pulmonary, cardiac and auditory issues.  Today her biggest challenge is learning to live with bilateral deafness caused by the very same drug treatments that saved her life in the NICU. We were fortunate to intervene very early with the use of hearing aids and follow with bilateral cochlear implants.  Hailey’s journey has had numerous obstacles and challenges that seem impossible to overcome; yet she never gives up. Not even once.  She continues to prove the impossible.

Day to day she loves to use her imagination in playing with her 4 year old brother. Some of her favorite pastimes are riding a bike, swimming, arts and crafts and attending gymnastics. As parents, we have learned to modify and enable her to do anything her heart desires.  

cuteheads: How have Hailey’s challenges negatively and positively affected her life?

Leslie: As a hearing impaired child, Hailey’s ability to process sounds is extremely difficult.  Classroom, play and other group interactions are mentally exhausting.  She has learned to seek out quiet places and ask for assistance when she needs it.  In a positive light, this has taught her to stay strong and push through difficult situations.

cuteheads: Can you talk about a time when Hailey felt different from others?

Leslie: Hailey has asked a few times why she has cochlear implants but she has never expressed that she feels different.  The Melinda Webb School at The Center for Hearing and Speech gave Hailey the confidence and skills to go out into the world and be whoever and whatever she wants to be.  This amazing school provided her with an atmosphere for her to make friendships in the hearing impaired world.  As her parents, we have explained to her that everyone is different, sometimes you can see it and sometimes you can’t.   

cuteheads: How does Hailey handle the challenges of being hearing impaired?

Leslie: There are times Hailey will completely shut down and not be herself and other times she shows her frustration through tears.  Loud, crowded places are not easy for her to be in.  She struggles to hear others and hold a conversation.   

cuteheads: She went to a school devoted to helping her be the best version of herself and others with her same challenge. How has her educational environment helped shape her into who she is today?

Leslie: After doing some searching, it was not until we found The Center for Hearing and Speech that we truly felt like Hailey was in the best of hands.  Once we met with The Center, we knew right away we found our new home away from home. Hailey entered the Melinda Webb School with just a few sounds, but shortly after attending MWS, she started to take off and become a child who was thriving in her everyday world.  This was only because of the goals, assessments, multiple meetings and expectation that were set from the first day she entered the program. 

As her parents, we were given instruction on how to work with Hailey to help her at home. The assessments gave us indication on what areas needed to be worked on the most.  Most importantly, the constant monitoring and testing by her well trained audiologist, speech therapist and certified teachers allowed us to catch her sudden progressive decrease in hearing. With the support of the Center we were able to adjust her technology when needed.  This occurred a few times which led us to the discussion of cochlear implants. 

cuteheads: How did you ultimately decide to do the cochlear implant surgery? Talk us through that process.

Our family struggled with the very difficult decision to implant her, since her residual  hearing was borderline, but with the help of all departments, the school, speech and audiology at The Center for Hearing and Speech, we made the right choice.   With the intense oral rehab the school was able to provide for Hailey, she immediately became a successful cochlear implant user. In just three years and being 5 years of age, Hailey graduated from the Melinda Webb School. This past year, Hailey thrived in a mainstream kindergarten classroom and is on the way to first grade in the Houston Independent School district.    

cuteheads: How has Hailey adjusted to her hearing aids/cochlear implants? Were there challenges at first that made her uncomfortable?

Leslie: Hailey began wearing hearing aids at 9 months old.  It was very difficult to keep them on her since she constantly grabbed for them and pulled them off.  Initially the sound was foreign and strange to the 9 month old baby that has had hardly heard anything since birth.  Just when she became more used to hearing aids she was set back with having to go through cochlear implant surgery and rehab.  

The complexity of cochlear implants is challenging. There are numerous parts, wires and adaptive equipment that have to be managed and maintained daily. Every night, Hailey has to recharge her “ears” or she does not get to listen the next day. As parents, it’s tough to see when technology fails her, and she gets frustrated when the cochlear equipment breaks and wires tear. This requires immediate replacement of parts, which is logistically challenging and costly.  

cuteheads: What makes Hailey brave and strong?

Leslie: It’s hard to put into words what makes her brave and strong… from the moment she was born, she has always been brave and strong.  She has been an inspiration to people of all ages showing and teaching us life lessons of never giving up. Whether it’s a hospital stay, a new environment, or a new experience, Hailey shows just how brave and strong she is.

Sadly, her twin sister Sari became very ill and lost her battle in the NICU at just two months old.  As her parents, we have always told Hailey about Sari, referring to how brave and strong she was during her short time with us. Hailey’s Hebrew name is Abira which means brave and Sari’s Hebrew name is Giborah, which means strong. We chose these names knowing and watching these two tiny babies fight for lives from the minute they entered this world.  Hailey continues to be such a fighter today, both for her and her sister.

cuteheads: What are some challenges Hailey has had to overcome in her social and educational life?

Leslie: Being so dependent on her cochlear implants, she constantly struggles in noisy or large group environments.  The technology has come a long way, but nowhere close to the natural hearing ears that most of us have.  Imagine being in a classroom full of screaming 6 year olds, yet feeling like you have to carry on a conversation at a concert hall with everyone cheering at the same time.  The effort is exhausting and challenging especially when her peers don’t fully understand her needs. 

 In class her teacher wears a special microphone that transmits the teachers voice directly to her implants.  This allows Hailey to be able to learn in a mainstream classroom just like her friends.  As her parents, we are aware of loud restaurants and places where it might be difficult for Hailey to listen and hold a conversation.  Some strategies we use to help avoid a struggle is positioning her in a room or sitting at a table where there isn’t as much noise.  A few adjustments here and there with constant awareness allows Hailey to participate and have a more enjoyable time. 

For Hailey:  

cuteheads: How does it make you feel having to use hearing aids/cochlear implants?

Hailey: Good because I can hear my friends. 

cuteheads: When you see another friend or people with cochlear implants, how does it make you feel?

Hailey: Excited, because they are just like me. 

cuteheads: What makes you feel brave and strong?

Hailey:  When I think of (my twin sister) Sari being brave and strong at the hospital 

cuteheads: What is your favorite activity?

Hailey:  arts and crafts 

cuteheads: What is your favorite food?

Hailey:  Mac and cheese! 

cuteheads: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Hailey:  Dentist or an artist 

We will feature more Brave, Strong Girls every month. Make sure you’re following cuteheads on Instagram and on Facebook to be the first to know when new posts go live! Shop the Hailey dress now. 

Photography by Le Zu Photography