Breaking the Sound Barrier

Shortly before my 7th birthday, I gradually began losing my hearing. This had been expected, according to the doctors. Because the treatment of meningitis in 1950 was new and not as effective as it is now, possible effects of the disease included loss of my hearing, loss of my sight, loss of both, or even death. My mother was with me during this period when my hearing began to fade, and she told me later how she saw the first signs of my deafness when I was sleeping later in the mornings, and did not respond to verbal commands.