M'sian City Life #7: I Was An Outcast, Teased And Bullied Because Of My Hearing Problems
"I was afraid that they may think I behave like an idiot, or I may not hear or misunderstood what they say."
By Tang Ruxyn — 29 Feb 2016, 05:59 PM — Updated over 8 years ago
Mohd Uzair Bin Mohd Rom was misdiagnosed as having learning disabilities when he was four years old.
It was only when he was about six years old, the doctors realised what young Uzair was really suffering from: severe hearing loss.
"Growing up was difficult for me as I yearned for a sense of belonging. I was often frustrated and disgruntled of being misunderstood," Uzair said.
"For almost 12 years, I was teased, bullied, and outcasted by my classmates and the people around me. I almost gave up, but with the support from my parents, especially my mom, I managed to push forward to become who I am today."
"I remember what my mom used to say, “Just ignore them. One day, you will be on top. God has a better plan for you”."
"Ever since I was a child, my mom has put so much effort on me, and the same goes for my teachers in school. My mom actually quit her job so that she could focus on teaching me at home to ensure that I catch up and be on par with others who were in my age group."
"She has never given up on me."
It certainly wasn't easy growing up, but the passionate young man pulled through thanks to the unwavering support from his loved ones and the power of technology. At the age of 12, Uzair had his first cochlear implant which drastically improved his hearing abilities.
"At the age of 9, my parents enrolled me in the Cochlear Implant program at Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. I attended speech therapy for a few years but I was not responding well as the hearing aid was inadequate for my profound hearing loss."
"I had my cochlear implant when I was almost 12 years old using the Sprint model and my performance improved every year. It is way better than hearing aid. At the age of 16, my device was upgraded. It has indeed changed my life a lot since I first received my Cochlear Implant; I can hear better, and my communication and social skills are improving, and so is my self-confidence."
The 24-year-old from Selayang, is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN).
Uzair recalls the feeling of being overwhelmed by fear and shyness to a point that he almost cried when he first set foot in UNITEN all those years ago in September 2013.
"When I started my journey in UNITEN, I was afraid the same things that happened to me when I was younger would happen again."
"So many thoughts were going through my mind. Though I was afraid, I made a promise to myself that I will change myself for the better."
"I was afraid that they may think I behave like an idiot, or I may not hear or misunderstand what they say. But my friends refused to stop helping and kept pushing me to be more outgoing and confident."
"Initially, I did not join my friends whenever they invited me to picnics, hang out sessions, or any other activities because I was too shy. I used to say, “It's okay guys, I've got things to do” and I gave so many excuses because I was afraid of losing them."
"But they were persistent and said things like “Ala Uzair! Jom lah, tak syoklah tak ada kau!" (Come on, Uzair. Let's go. It isn't fun without you!)."
"It was then that I decided to go out with them and everything went well, to my own surprise!"
Uzair, who is sometimes referred to as "the guy who wears earphones all the time", is the happiest when he is with his friends although he has to concentrate twice as hard than normal people when communicating with others
"I still have difficulties listening sometimes like when talking in noisy places or when a friend whispers."
"My cochlear implant is on my right ear. Wherever I go, I will ask my friends to stand on my right side and focus on listening."
"Sometimes I look at their mouth so that I could lip-read them but most of the time, I try to focus at what they are saying without looking at their lips. I'm still practicing till today."
Uzair aspires to work with a global biotechnology company, Cochlear to pursue his dream of creating a better world for all hearing-impaired people, especially for the young ones
Uzair used to fail his examinations but he worked extremely hard for his SPM paper and got 3A's. Since then, he continued to excel academically despite his hearing difficulties, getting into the Dean's list twice when he was doing his Diploma of Electronics Engineering (Communications) in Politeknik Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, Shah Alam. He is currently in his third year for his degree at UNITEN and is representing his university for Taekwondo competitions. He always enjoys playing the drum in his free time.
Uzair said, "There is an English saying that has been my driving force — “There is no pleasure without pain”. My advice to everyone is to never give up and don’t stop chasing your dreams."
Living in the city ain’t a piece of cake but it could also be exciting and adventurous. How are you coping? How are you making the best out of things? Do you have a story or experience to share?
SUBMIT YOUR STORY NOW, or work on it and send it soon. Share a personal experience, your story as an urban city-dweller in Malaysia, whether it’s yours or from someone you know, email [email protected] or FB message us.
We’ll get in touch with you for your story to be featured on SAYS!
Stay tuned for the next episode!