This is a LIVE replay of A Trauma Survivor Thriver's Podcast which aired Wednesday, November 16th, 2022 at 1130am ET on Fireside Chat. Today’s guest is Michelle Wagner. A children’s book author and advocate for families with special needs children. The main character in her book series, Mickey, is Michelle’s real life 14-year-old son who was born with hearing loss in both ears and wears Cochlear Implants to aid him in his hearing journey. Michelle has dedicated her life to making sure Mickey has the best medical care and resources. She assists families as they work together through the different approaches to raising a special needs child. Transcripts: Lorilee Binstock 00:01:57 Welcome. I'm Lorilee Binstock, and this is A Trauma Survivor Thriver’s Podcast. Thank you so much for joining me live on Fire side chat where you can be a part of the conversation as my virtual audience. I am your host, Lorilee Binstock. Everyone has an opportunity to ask me or our guest questions by requesting the hop on stage, but we do ask that everyone be respectful. I will try to get you as soon as possible. Today's guest is Michelle Wagner, children's book author and advocate for families with special needs children, the main character in her book series Mickey on the move, Mickey, is Michelle's real life fourteen year old son who was born with hearing loss in both ears and Where cochlear implants to aid him in his hearing journey. Michelle has dedicated her life to making sure Mickey has the best medical care and resources, and she insists families as they work together through the different approaches to facing a special needs child, Michelle, thank you so much for joining me today. Michelle M Wagner 00:03:16 Thank you for having me, Laurie. Lorilee Binstock 00:03:19 Well, you know, I think this is amazing. You know, you we we kind of compensated briefly... Through email, but you know, you talked about, I didn't realize it, but Mickey was adopted, and you didn't know at the time during the adoption that Mickey. There was any hearing loss. Could you talk a little bit about that process of adoption. And when you discovered, he actually had some hearing loss. Michelle M Wagner 00:03:53 Sure. He so we decided my husband at time and I decided to adapt, and I had had cousin in Ohio had just adapted it to very sweet boys from Russia, actually, And we decided to do the same. We had enough resources, and I researched and met other parents that went through a bay area here where we live adoption agency, and then also connected you know, with resources to help guide us through the entire process. It was long about a year and a half. And when they finally found Mikey for us and an orphan in Tomorrow, who's was about sixteen months old, and we had to take three trips to Russia to visit him, and he was so sweet and smiley, and instantly, we made a connection with him. And they had just mentioned that he had ear infections, and it was twenty below zero in cold. Lorilee Binstock 00:05:03 Mhmm. Michelle M Wagner 00:05:04 And that might have been, you know, a significant factor, and he was also born premature. And once we... Once the adoption process was finished, and we brought him back to California, we shortly there thereafter realized that he was not hearing, and we took him to an ear nose and throat specialist. And then to a special hospital Ucsf, where an cardiologist in a special team met with us, And they said he was profoundly deaf in both ears. So he had no hearing, and they asked if we wanted a hearing and speaking trials or assigning child, and then we would take the, you know, take it from there. And so we decided to give him every opportunity possible. And we he was able to get bilateral cochlear implants, so that was implant in both ears, and it was a very intense operation and time in our lives, and we had a way you know, to be approved, and then to get the operation and recovery was a couple months, and then he was implanted and his processors were activated, and he was three years old at that time. And now he is fourteen, and he has thriving, Lorilee Binstock 00:06:31 Mhmm. Michelle M Wagner 00:06:32 playing sports, and, you know, we still do speech lessons every day, but the whole entire journey has been extremely rewarding. Lorilee Binstock 00:06:42 Oh, that's so amazing to hear. You know, being being a parent just without having a child with special needs is is challenging. Does it like for you through the the whole process and and and raising a child now he's fourteen with in thriving, which is incredible. What would you how would you describe parenting a special needs child? Michelle M Wagner 00:07:10 Aside... Aside from being, you know, rewarding, I think it was actually a gift and something that sort of required me really stepping up to the plate and doing the best that I could you know, they say god doesn't give you anything you can't handle Lorilee Binstock 00:07:33 Exactly. Michelle M Wagner 00:07:34 shortly after we adapted him. My his dad and I separated, and we went through a pretty lengthy divorce while we were going through the whole cochlear implant process, and, you know, it had its challenges I at that time, you know, I decided to do whatever I needed on my end. To be the best mom that I could and take this gift and challenge on you know, it's the best of my ability. And, you know, every everything now when I look back, all all everything that we have gone through and are still continuing to go through has, I think, me us both, you know, more empathetic and Mickey as actually a an extremely empathetic child. He really cares for others. He likes helping others, and it's it's been, very rewarding. Lorilee Binstock 00:08:42 So you wrote a book series Mickey on the move. Based on your son. What brought that on? Michelle M Wagner 00:08:54 Well, I am I'm a realtor now. And I've been in a business design business, although Lorilee Binstock 00:08:57 Mhmm Michelle M Wagner 00:09:00 you know, right at a high school, I went to college for teaching and that paid off. But, you know, it's actually the Covid, you know, Covid. What hope it gave to us sort of... Maybe right the book. I... Mickey and I were living with my then rick, and, you know, we were, you know, pretty much on lockdown like everybody else. And I had had people suggest, you know, I write, you know, other authors, and I always wanted to bring more awareness. To cochlear implants. I coached every sport, Mickey was on, Lorilee Binstock 00:09:36 Mhmm. Michelle M Wagner 00:09:40 you know, baseball Soccer, and has been you know, an advocate without realizing it really what I was doing was just being his mom and, you know, being working from home, and, you know, doing more things at home with Mickey to sort of homeschool him and educate him here. Wow, you know, we weren't really interacting with the outside world. We got chickens and Lorilee Binstock 00:10:06 Mhmm. Michelle M Wagner 00:10:06 plant bigger garden and I just really wanted to bring awareness, and it... You know, I just took a shot of it. And the first book really ended up kicking off, and that was mickey on the move, and it did... So. Wow, You know, let's just by many people that I do a series, and so, you know, it took some time, but I... This like a book came out and it's one a bunch of awards already. And really when and has done is educate everybody, and I donate to schools because, you know, we should celebrate all our unique differences and the things that make us all special. And the only way we can really do that is through education. Lorilee Binstock 00:10:52 Agree. Absolutely. A hundred percent. I think that that is such a beautiful beautiful way, especially during Covid and you took during this difficult period, you you just took this opportunity to raise awareness about your son, and and I just absolutely lov
