Way back when I was a teenager, I loved the sport of barefoot water skiing.

One day, I turned to cross the wake and crashed into the water.

When I climbed into the boat, I had become deaf.

That moment changed the course of my life. I grew up hard of hearing and being ashamed of having hearing loss. It was no fun missing out on group conversations and constantly asking people to repeat themselves. After becoming deaf, I hit a dark time in my life.

I woke up one morning and made a simple decision: I was going to embrace the journey of being deaf. That decision led me through a whole new world; one where people used sign language. I met my husband (who is also deaf) and I ended up passing a gene to my children and they too, became deaf.

Fast forward to midlife

My husband forwarded me a link to a Today Show segment featuring Judy Myers, a 66-year-old woman who learned to barefoot water ski at the age of 53.

I quickly did the math — I was only 44. If this gal could do it in her 50s...