“I don’t want anyone to pity me – that’s not why I decided to share my story. But I really want to help those who are going through the same challenges I faced.” Diana Davis openly discusses living with third-degree sensorineural hearing loss
Ice dancer Diana Davis openly discusses living with third-degree sensorineural hearing loss since childhood and her journey to acceptance and advocacy.
original source: Sports by Maya Bagriantseva
In an interview with Maya Bagriantseva, figure skater Diana Davis, who competes in ice dance for Georgia with Gleb Smolkin, spoke openly for the first time about her third-degree sensorineural hearing loss, which she has lived with since childhood. Here’s a translation.
Q: Let’s clarify the terminology. What is your diagnosis?
Diana Davis: Third-degree sensorineural hearing loss. At times, I was diagnosed with second degree, and sometimes tests showed the most severe – fourth degree. In other words, it’s hearing impairment due to damage to the auditory nerve. I’ve had this since childhood.
I don’t have problems with the volume of sounds – you don’t need to shout or speak louder when talking to me. But speech clarity suffers. It’s hard for me to distinguish certain consonants, especially sibilants.
A lot also depends on the timbre of the voice. Some people I understand immediately, even if we’re not acquainted, while with others, even after knowing them for a long time, I still have trouble deciphering their phrases. There are many factors: speech speed, accent. You can speak very quietly; the main thing is to articulate clearly, then I have no problems.
Q: Why did you decide to talk about this now?
Diana Davis: I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while.
I was very inspired by the example of French ice dancer Geoffrey Brissaud, who trains with us at the rink in Montreal. He recently admitted that he suffers from dyslexia (difficulty recognizing text and reading), and I saw how many people with that diagnosis responded with gratitude.
I suppose it’s also because I’ve become more confident and mature – I’m no longer afraid to admit that I’m different.
Previously, various medical clinics often asked me for interviews – to raise awareness about this diagnosis. But I always refused; I didn’t want to focus on it or have it discussed.
People with similar hearing difficulties have also messaged me on social media – and I didn’t know what to say. One girl wrote that she never imagined someone with this diagnosis could be so successful in sports. So at some point, I realized I shouldn’t keep silent. I should share my story – maybe it will help someone gain confidence.
Q: Six years ago, you posted something very emotional, saying you had hearing problems but were cured and now completely healthy. Do you remember that moment?
Diana Davis: Yes. At that time, I had adapted to the diagnosis and learned to live with it, so I didn’t want to admit I had problems. I didn’t want to be treated differently. It was a difficult period, a lot was going on – I wanted to shut everyone out and be left alone.
There were different comments: some were supportive, others were quite mean. “Quit sports, why are you even skating?” I guess that was my way of protecting myself.
Of course, many knew I had hearing problems. But like any teenager, I didn’t want to be talked about – especially negatively. So I decided to say I was fine, that I was just a normal person.
Now I realize I don’t want people to be afraid. I used to be scared – what if someone spoke to me and I didn’t understand? As a child, I was laughed at and teased.
Q: At school?
Diana Davis: Yes, in elementary school – first and second grade were especially unpleasant. But it’s like my brain erased those memories; I hardly remember the details.
Q: At the rink?
Diana Davis: There too. There were a few kids who teased and tried to get to me. They’d come up and ask, “What’s your name?” and I wouldn’t immediately understand what they wanted, so I’d answer, “I don’t know.” That really amused them: “She’s so big, but doesn’t get anything.”
Back then, I closed myself off, but now I realize I don’t want other children to go through the same thing. It would be great if teenagers with the same diagnosis felt less shy and afraid. Many withdraw into themselves, but I want them to know: this diagnosis doesn’t change anything, and you shouldn’t let it limit you.
Q: Do doctors understand the cause? Is it external factors, or is it genetic?
Diana Davis: No, I was born completely healthy – I had no hearing problems. My mom says I was a very light sleeper – waking up at any little sound.
But when I was two, while on vacation in Turkey, I got very sick. My temperature was 40°C, and the doctor prescribed the wrong dosage of antibiotics. My temperature dropped sharply – almost to 34°C – and it took a long time to return to normal.
After that illness, I changed a lot. Of course, I don’t remember it well, but my mom says things got very quiet at home: I stopped talking, withdrew, and didn’t speak to anyone.
By age four, my speech slowly returned, but with defects – so I was taken to speech therapists, who suspected a hearing problem.
Q: What treatment did they suggest?
Diana Davis: I had audiograms very often – the doctors wanted to assess the degree of hearing loss. At some point, I memorized the rhythm of the audiogram and pressed the button at random. I even managed to trick the machine – it showed I was completely healthy. After that, doctors started testing me manually, without equipment.
We went to Germany several times – for examinations and to see if surgery would help. But with my diagnosis, surgery isn’t performed.
Q: Is it impossible to cure?
Diana Davis: Yes. Doctors suggested trying cochlear, that is, hearing implants. But I think my mom declined that option.
I was advised to wear a hearing aid. I lived with them for several years – from about age seven, when I started school. I really didn’t like them. They require very fine and frequent adjustments – every three months we went to the clinic to have them recalibrated. If you don’t, they only get in the way – hearing becomes weaker.
At school, I would take them off during breaks and immediately feel like I was in silence; all sounds seemed even more distant and muffled. So I struggled with them for several years and eventually quit. I had many different models; the last one was modern and very small – beige electronic micro-devices, barely noticeable in the ears. But I hardly used them.
Although I still have them here in Montreal – at one point, I asked my mom to bring them. But the thing is, I really start to hear worse when I take them out, so now they just sit in the closet.
There was another reason I stopped using the hearing aid. Once, they made an insert of the wrong size, and I developed inflammation of the trigeminal nerve, which runs through almost the entire face and neck. I suffered for several months with terrible pain; doctors didn’t understand what was happening, and medications didn’t help. But at one clinic, they did an ultrasound and figured it out.
The problem is, now every time I get cold or sick, the pain returns. The attacks last several days and are quite unpleasant.
That’s why I almost always wear special warm earmuffs during training – I only take them off for difficult elements or lifts.
Q: When we talk in the mixed zone, how comfortable are you? Can you hear everything?
Diana Davis: In the past, I mostly read lips, but now I hardly need to. It’s just that the mixed zone is always very noisy, so it’s hard for anyone to understand what’s being said, especially if someone asks a question unclearly or not very distinctly.
Q: Was it even harder to do interviews after skates during COVID, when everyone was wearing masks?
Diana Davis: Back then, I didn’t talk at all. I just stood silently, and Gleb did all the talking. The more nervous I was, the more stressed I got, the harder it was for me to understand what people were saying.
There are certain frequencies I can barely hear: for example, if the fridge beeps, the intercom, or the fire alarm. Gleb and I used to play special videos online to test hearing sensitivity. It’s surprising – some sounds I hear worse than he does, but a sharp ultrasonic sound, which he can barely perceive, is painfully loud for me.
Q: How do you hear music? People must often ask – how do you skate?
Diana Davis: No, I really have no problems with music – I can hear both the rhythm and the beat. If a piece has a rustling sound effect in the background, I might not catch it. And I can’t make out lyrics – so Gleb and I can’t coordinate to do something on the ice “after this phrase.”
If it’s something short and clear, like “Who’s bad?” in our Michael Jackson program, there’s no problem, but otherwise, we have to find other ways.
Q: Like what?
Diana Davis: I rely on rhythm and our mutual feeling. Gleb and I are very in sync; I memorize the tempo and follow it.
It’s also really important that I like the music, so it plays in my head – then it’s much easier for me to catch the rhythm.
Q: Do doctors forbid you from anything? For example, listening to music with headphones.
Diana Davis: Maybe they did, I don’t remember. I live a completely normal life: I can listen to music on speakers, in the car, or with headphones if I want to be alone and focus. My friends and I go to clubs, I endlessly scroll through social media looking for new music and dances. I watch a lot of Korean videos and love to improvise at home to unfamiliar songs.
But when I watch movies or TV series, I always need subtitles – even in Russian. I can hear the sound, the volume, the intonation, I catch the emotion, but I have trouble recognizing speech. Background noise, lack of context, and tension make it harder.
Voice messages are also difficult for me, so I’m glad messengers have transcription options.
Q: Do you prefer video calls or texting?
Diana Davis: Either is fine. I can talk to my mom without video – just put her on speaker, and there’s no problem. Sometimes I’ll ask her to repeat things a hundred times, but a lot depends on the connection quality – just like for everyone else.
Q: When you meet new people, do you immediately tell them about your condition?
Diana Davis: No, I never mention it. So many people at our rink still have no idea that I have any difficulties. They probably just think I’m shy and reserved.
I don’t want anyone to pity me – that’s not why I decided to share my story. Right now, I’m fine, I’m surrounded by loving people, and I feel their support. But I really want to help those who are going through the same challenges I faced.”
Related topics: Diana Davis Gleb Smolkin
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