Check It Out: The secret to happiness during adversity

By Joan Janzen

A genie would grant one wish, so the man said “I just want to be happy”. He instantly found himself living in a cottage with six dwarves and working in a mine.

Happiness can be challenging for people of all ages. There’s plenty to be unhappy about, with rising inflation, increased taxes, and so much more. The story of a deaf girl’s life reveals how it takes a supportive community and perseverance to overcome challenges and ensure happiness.

Over a decade ago a woman named Sue Thomas was interviewed by talk show host, Moira Brown. Sue passed away in December, 2022. Born in 1950 in the state of Ohio, she became profoundly deaf at the age of 18 months. Her parents were advised to place her in an institution, but they refused.

“I had to learn how to speak,” Sue explained. “I sat in front of the mirror with my therapist, forming my mouth as she formed her mouth. I had seven years of speech therapy in front of the mirror.”

That’s how she learned lip reading. “I tell people anybody can do it. Just brush your teeth, and start talking to yourself in front of the mirror,” she chuckled. She recalled her dad saying it took a long time for her to learn to talk, but once she did they couldn’t shut her up.

Her parents enrolled her in a public school; she was the only deaf child in her school district. “No one knew how to work with me. I was just passed from class to class,” she recalled. Finally one of her teachers saw her true potential and Sue’s education improved. That teacher was one of many people who were instrumental in changing Sue’s life.

At the tender age of 7, the little deaf girl became Ohio’s figure skating champion. Sue couldn’t hear the music, but she said, “My coach took it upon himself to skate hand in hand with me over and over until I had it memorized.” When it came time for her final performance, he would stand perfectly still on the outside of the rink. All of a sudden he’d be jumping up and down waving his hands, letting her know it was time for her to begin.

During her adult years, Sue encouraged parents who had a child with an adversity, telling them that with perseverance there’s nothing your child can’t do. And Sue’s mother proved that to be true.

“At the age of 5 they brought a piano in. My mom was persistent that I was going to have the love of music,” she said. “Over and over she’d practice with me, and she’d say some day you’re going to thank me for this. I thank God for the persistence and time she made me sit by that piano. I had never experienced those vibrations before. I studied classical piano; I love it! The music reflects my mood. Music is inside me and then it’s released. I’m convinced that all deaf people have that creativity.”

Sue’s first service dog was a yellow lab named Levi, followed by another dog named Sir Rodney. Both dogs became her dearly loved companions.

As a young girl, she had many accomplishments under her belt, but she had only just begun! She went on to college where she studied political science, and international relations. She received her BS degree before doing post-graduate work in counselling.

At the age of 30, she panicked when she heard the FBI were looking for her, but it turned out they wanted to employ Sue. They hired her because of her ability to lip read.

“Nobody would know what was going on, but I would watch the bad guys talk and I would tell the good guys what the bad guys were saying,” Sue explained. “I became their secret weapon. For three and a half years I lived in the fast lane.”

In 2002 Hollywood produced an award-winning TV series, based on Sue’s work with the FBI. When she was asked who she wanted to portray her in the series, she requested “a nice, tall, thin blond; someone who would make me look good,” she laughed. She also wanted the show to inspire hope for moms and dads who were facing adversity.

The series was shown in 64 nations around the world, and brought Sue international recognition. She was sought after as a public speaker, not only throughout the US, but in Germany, The Netherlands, India, Japan and Canada. She spoke to small audiences, and crowds of up to 45,000, where she encouraged her audience with her life story. She also wrote several books, but there’s more …

Sue’s best friend was her Mom, and she missed her so much when she passed away, especially at Christmas. Christmas had always been a huge family celebration. “My first Christmas without her I told my travelling companion I didn’t want to celebrate,” she said. Instead she took her companion to a play. When they arrived at their motel, Sue saw two homeless people on the street.

“I said we can’t leave them there,” she recalled, and bought them a room for the night, and breakfast in the morning. “The next morning, one of the women called my room and said she hadn’t had a hot shower and a hot cup of coffee for so long. She said she was ready to straighten out her life. It was the ray of hope she needed,” Sue explained. That was the beginning of “Operation Silent Night”, when Sue would help the homeless, every year on Christmas Eve.

“My story is not my own,” she said. “There were so many people who believed in me, and gave a part of their life to me, to help make me into what I am today.” And in return, Sue reached out to thousands and believed in them. It’s the secret to happiness in the midst of adversity.