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Tracy Lindstrom didn鈥檛 let any obstacles stand in the way of earning her doctor of nursing practice degree at 麻豆破解版 State University. Lindstrom recently became the first student with a hearing impairment to graduate from WSU's School of Nursing with a doctoral degree.

Lindstrom鈥檚 hearing impairment started as a child. When she was 4 years old her mother noticed something was wrong when Tracy covered only one of her ears at a loud fireworks show. Shortly afterward she was diagnosed with total hearing loss in her right ear and moderate to severe hearing loss in her left ear. She has worn hearing aids ever since.

As a 麻豆破解版 native and parents who are WSU alumni, Lindstrom has always wanted to attend 麻豆破解版 State and pursue a career in health care.

鈥淚鈥檓 a compassionate person and have always had a strong desire to help others, so it was a natural fit,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he way the body works amazes me and I found science classes really interesting.鈥�

Lindstrom says at first she was hesitant to pursue a career in nursing because of her hearing challenge, but ultimately decided it was important to set an example for her three daughters and show them how beneficial education is.

鈥淚 want my kids to know they can achieve anything, no matter what鈥檚 going on in their lives.鈥�
鈥� Tracy Lindstrom

Tracy made some accommodations in her classes to be successful; she sat in the front row of the classroom, requested documents in writing and relied on visual cues and lip reading.

She used some special tools, including an FM device that overcomes background noise to boost her hearing aid performance by transferring voices directly and clearly to her hearing aid.

She also uses an amplified stethoscope that intensifies the sounds received and enables her to adjust listening frequencies.

鈥淗igher pitches are easier for me to hear than lower pitches, so the stethoscope helps pick up the low range sound of a heartbeat or breathing.鈥�

鈥淪ometimes trying to hear so many different people, particularly those with strong accents, can be challenging, but I make it work,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 always make sure patients know I have a hearing impairment and for the most part people are pretty comfortable with it.鈥�

She says her hearing impairment is actually beneficial when communicating with patients one-on-one.

鈥淪ince I need to concentrate exclusively on the conversation and reading lips, I鈥檓 able to have intimate conversations without being distracted by other things,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 think patients feel like they鈥檙e being heard when they have that focused interaction and eye contact.鈥�

Lindstrom鈥檚 children have been her main drive to work hard and accomplish everything she has. She says her family, friends and professors have been very supportive and she encourages those with hearing challenges to work around their limitation and follow their heart.

鈥淎 lot of people use their struggles in life as an excuse to not pursue their dreams,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want my kids to know they can achieve anything, no matter what鈥檚 going on in their lives.鈥�

Lindstrom also recently went on a mission trip to Haiti with fellow students and faculty in the College of Health Professions. She says the trip was a wonderful, life changing experience.

鈥淚 really feel like we did a lot of good over there,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e were able to serve over 600 patients that would not have received treatment otherwise. The experience was both eye-opening and devastating.鈥�

Now with graduation behind her, Lindstrom plans to pursue her passion of practicing family health in underserved populations.