Four-year-old Anthony Smith refused to wear his hearing aid. Why? “Because,” he told his mom, “superheros don’t wear hearing aids.”
Christina D’Allesandro Is One Smart Mama
Anthony’s mama, Christiana D’Allesandro, knew better than to go head to head with her superhero-enamoured son. Instead, she emailed Marvel Comics about her dilemma. (Like I said, she’s one smart mama.)
Marvel Comics Creates a Superhero with a Hearing Aid!
So how did the folks at Marvel Comics react to Christiana’s email? According to Huffington Post article, Marvel Creates Special Needs Superhero Thanks to Smart Mom, they did two things. First, “the company sent Anthony, who has a rare genetic disorder that left him hearing impaired in his right ear, an image of an old ’80s comic book featuring Hawkeye, a hero who had lost his hearing and wears a hearing aid.” Yes, they created a superhero with a hearing aid.
But then, as the email circulated amongst the Marvel Comics artist, “they decided to make the little boy into his own superhero, called Blue Ear. His tag lines: ‘Thanks to my listening device, I hear someone in trouble’ and ‘When DANGER makes a sound, the Blue Ear answers the call.'”
How Did Anthony Respond?
The artists made Blue Ear a child, and once the artwork was completed, they sent it to Anthony. How did Anthony respond? According to a second article about Anthony and his Marvel Comic superhero at CafeMom.com, Anthony received the artwork and said, “This is me!” Needless to say, he has been wearing his hearing aid every day since the drawings arrived.
Who’s Your Superhero?
I don’t know about you, but Christiana and the artists at Marvel Comics are my new superheros? Who’s yours? Your child? Your spouse? A good friend? A doctor? Leave a comment about your superhero’s special powers.
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Nicole,
Thank you for the great link. What a wonderful resource.
Nicole,
Thank you for the great link. What a wonderful resource.
A number of companies are doing their part to keep up the self confidence of hearing impaired children. American Girl , for example, now makes hearing aids for their dolls. For more on this, check out this and The Blue Ear article: http://www.audicus.com/blogs/hearing-aids-blog/7457080-hearing-aid-alter-egos
A number of companies are doing their part to keep up the self confidence of hearing impaired children. American Girl , for example, now makes hearing aids for their dolls. For more on this, check out this and The Blue Ear article: http://www.audicus.com/blogs/hearing-aids-blog/7457080-hearing-aid-alter-egos
What a fabulous story! And that’s one smart mama.
What a fabulous story! And that’s one smart mama.
Way to go, Marvel Comics!!!!!
Way to go, Marvel Comics!!!!!