When I was around four years old, I was very sick. I have a few vivid memories of my grandmother putting me into an icy bath while she looked like she was trying not to cry. I have another memory of being carried into a hospital and a bunch of adults rushing all around me. (You know, none of that fuss might have been about me, but kids are so self-involved, I was pretty sure it was all about me.)

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I also remember later, back at home, being frustrated that I couldn't hear anything on tv. It was a huge wooden cabinet (this was in the early 70s), and I had turned the knob for the volume as far as it would go.

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I pressed my ear against the grating where the sound came out, but all it did was tickle my ears with the vibration. My parents came running into the room with their hands over their ears and I remember my mom staring at me with this sick realization on her face, though I didn't understand it at the time.

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I'd been sick with Scarlet Fever, which can cause hearing loss.