Before starting to tell my story, I would like to thank Soshified for the opportunity to share this story and show how important the members of Girls’ Generation are to me. Since I’m not a Soshified writer I’ll introduce myself: I’m Diéfani Favareto Piovezan, I’m 22 years old, and I’m currently living in Brazil with my father and our family.
I’ve lived in a world of silence for seven years. When I was fourteen a neurological condition took my hearing away from me. Back then I was a very active teenager, and I used to go out every weekend to dance, watch movies, and party. But above all other things, I was in love with music. I used to listen to everything from Mozart to Cradle of Filth. My computer would be playing music all day long. Although I didn’t have the gifted talent to play instruments or sing well, listening was enough to fill my soul with joy.
When I lost my hearing, I tried to “listen” to music, but the only way to do so was to actually feel the music. I used to leave my stereo playing very loud so I could feel the sound vibration in order to enjoy it just a little bit, but it wasn’t enough. Hearing aids never worked, since the problem was in my auditory nerve. Either I would have to live forever in a world of silence or get some kind of special hearing implant.
I was afraid of getting an implant, so I chose to live in the silence. When I was 17, I kind of gave up on music. Since I couldn’t listen to the music, I felt like there was no sense in just feeling it, because it didn’t make me happy the way it used to. Although I would keep CDs in my car, I would only put one in when someone was in the car with me.
I was in college when I met a group of deaf people who have cochlear implants. A cochlear implant is a device full of electrodes that is implanted in the cochlea through a 5-hour long surgery. It serves as a substitute for the sensory hair cells within the ear, and has an external piece that works as a speech processor. The sound comes through a device that looks similar to a common hearing aid, passes through an antenna that has a magnet in it, and finally goes straight to the brain. The people I met who had cochlear implants could hear well, and I felt motivated to get one as well.
I went to a doctor and he told me that since I had both American and Brazilian citizenship, I should go to Brazil to get the surgery done for free. I came to Brazil in January of 2010, and I waited nine months to get the surgery done before the cochlear implant was activated on November of 2010. A new world opened up, and I started to really hear and understand both speech and sound by May of 2011. I slowly started to listen to music again, but only the old songs that I listened to when I was 14.
A friend of mine introduced me to K-Pop and she showed me some videos. I liked the blast of colors, but I was still adjusting to the implant and couldn’t really hear their voices over the background music. But I kept listening. In August a big change occurred and I was able to listen to a lot of things. I even started talking on the phone with some relatives. I felt excited to learn more about K-pop, but I didn’t find any groups that I really liked. I heard songs by Brown Eyed Girls, Jewelry, Super Junior, 2NE1, f(x), 2PM, and many more, but nothing excited me. I felt as if it just sounded like “common” music. They were good, but they didn’t really touch me.
It was October 18th, 2011 when S.M. Entertainment uploaded a new video called “Girls’ Generation: The Boys” onto their YouTube channel. A friend of mine who loves K-pop saw it and sent me the link to the video on YouTube. I waited for it to load so I could see it. When the song started, I thought, “Pretty girls”, but then suddenly I heard the song starting and something inside me was screaming, “THIS IS JUST WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR!” It was love at first sight and first hearing. I could hear how each of them had powerful voices. Although I don’t understand any Korean, I could clearly understand the words they were singing. That was the day when Girls’ Generation came into my life.
After I heard “The Boys”, I was insanely looking for videos on YouTube and information on Google. My friend and I spent 48 hours awake in order to learn how to recognize each member. In the end, we were the ones answering the “who is who” questions on the YouTube comments. Every single day I would wake up and go straight to the computer to do my college work and listen to Girls’ Generation’s songs. I’ve bought a lot of their songs on iTunes. I’ve made Tiffany my desktop and iPhone background. Their songs are my ringtones. I stay up nights watching them.
They touched me deeply because many pop stars act like they are at the top of the world, but not Girls’ Generation. They act like human beings, like nine girls in their twenties. They are loud and playful, they say things from the heart, and they are so grateful to their fans that it makes us feel like we are the ones who are working hard for them.
The members of Girls’ Generation didn’t just touch my heart and soul, but they helped me a lot to improve my hearing more and more. When you are not able to hear for many years, your brain forgets how to hear, and you have to learn how to hear all over again when you get a cochlear implant. It takes many years to be able to do many of the things that I used to do.
I usually select the songs I like the most and leave them playing all day long. They are like my hearing therapists. I listen to them and I try to recognize their voices, and by the voice tone I know who is singing. I also use their songs to identify strong phonetic sounds that can be clearly heard in the Korean language. Of course I get it wrong a lot of times, but I also get it right a lot of times. Their videos work the same way: I let the whole video play, and without looking at it I write down on a piece of paper who is talking and strong phonetic sounds that I hear. When the video finishes, I actually watch it to see what I heard right.
It seems like a stupid thing, right? Well, to my surprise, it actually improved my hearing. On November 11th, 2011 I went to the hospital to adjust the implant’s volume and hearing speed. They conducted the audiogram and all the hearing tests that they always do, and the audiologist said, “Well, I don’t know what you’ve being doing, or what happened, but your improvement now is at 93%. When you last came in August it was 58% and now it’s 93%. It’s insane and amazing. Whatever you’re dong, it’s working, and it’s helping a lot.”
From that day on, I never stopped watching Girls’ Generation’s videos or listening to their songs. I do watch other videos and listen to other songs, but only Girls’ Generation can truly help me with my needs. My friends are starting to love them because of me, but for me they have a much bigger importance in my life. I expect to be hearing even better in a year or two, and I intend to go to a Girls’ Generation concert. Whether they’ll be in New York City, Brazil (maybe, since they are getting a lot of fans here), or in Asia, I’ll try to save some money to see them sing and dance live, and I will enjoy every single part of it.
Thank you, Girls’ Generation. I’m grateful that you have all worked so hard and never given up. Thank you for being such great singers, and for that reason, thank you for helping me to hear better every day. I expect you’ll work for many years more, so I’ll be able to attend a lot of concerts. Your work has set my soul truly free. It makes my soul full of joy, but above of all, it brings a lot of sounds and music to my soul.
Some people might see this story as stupid or childish, but only a person who has lost the ability to hear and then is able to hear again can understand how it feels and the joy I feel inside me. My soul was shut away from the world and sad because my soul is the one of a person who can hear and listen to music, and Girls’ Generation brought my happiness back. Thank you Taeyeon, Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona, and Seohyun. I’ll keep working very hard to hear more and more each day just like you keep working hard to bring smiles to our faces. Hwaiting!!!!
Written by: Diéfani Favareto Piovezan
Edited by: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
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Hi! I’m glad for you that you were able to recover your hearing. Your story is truly amazing. You stayed strong until the end. And the part that SNSD took in your life suggests that the girls are not only a mere girl group but something like a net that catches people who are in trouble or gives them hope. Thanks for sharing your experience and stay strong and happy^^… PS It’s not stupid nor childish really!!:)
As someone who falls deeply in love with music, I am really happy with you! Hwaiting!
this is the prove from the power of music.
you go girl :) !
you know i had the same stories with you
when in 2, nearly 3 years (2008-2010) i’ve been struggle and trying
to survive from the disease that attack my blood. in that time
i just want to give up, but SNSD songs help me to think
that i can through this, their song give me a power of believe
the power of struggle, and thanks God i’m already back to my normal life.
2 years being a survivors helps me alot to learn life, love and how proud i’m to be
a sone, thanks God, Thanks 소녀시대
so sweet,,,T_T
I’m glad you got your hearing back! I remember the first time I heard SNSD’s song was when I had a broken clavicle and was bored trying to do homework with my non-dominant hand. I then went onto youtube and came across SNSD’s Gee, which had just been released a few weeks before and kpop, explosively blew my mind to the point where I did not stop searching for every possible kpop song that was currently playing on people’s mp3’s and ipods. Even while I could not use my dominant arm, I gained the energy to go back to my DJ club and mix and scratch to and with kpop, which kept me happy and away from depression. It’s very pleasing to hear stories from other people about how music changes their life in very difficult times. Your story is very touching and I hope there are more stories out there that published on Soshified! May you fully recover painlessly!!! HWAITING!!!!
This is a very touching story. Hwaiting !!
wow, this story really remind me back in 2009….SNSD is more than a singers for me, when i heard their song for the first time i felt peace all of sudden. Their voice is really different. That’s true, when i heard Wonder Girls, 2PM, Super Junior, 2NE1 i think they were just good but only SNSD’s song can captured my heart (i even don’t know who’s SNSD’s member but i like their song). After that i started to search SNSD’s profile, who are they, their life story, etc. Then, i fell in love with them until now. Jigeumen SNSD, Appereudo SNSD, Yongwonhi SNSD. :)
I’m really happy for you. Hope the girls can read this story, this is so touching~~
I love you’re dedication, being impaired didn’t stop you in believing in the impossible, glad that you’ve met those college friends who suggested you to have implants. I think it’s great.
This really touching. I AM SPEECHLESS :))
Keep on rocking gurl. ^^
I nearly cried. like seriously, my eyes were getting teary already.
It just made me feel proud of the girls.
How you said you’re finally an interest in sound again because of the girls are just simply touching.
Hope you’re fully recovered soon (or maybe already recovered by now.)
Anyway, it’s amazing to know how fans become fans of the girls. (:
I am speechless, I totally agree with you, keep fighting :)
I cried after reading this :’) Not only SNSD but you’re also inspired & teach us to a whole new meaning of life. From the bottom of my heart, i just want to say thank you.. thank you for sharing this story with us ^^
Just… wow. I feel quilty for taking for granted the fact that I have the ability to actually listen to music. I think this is something people should be more thankful for.
I’m happy for you, that you can enjoy music again!
when you tell about how you lost ability to her i feel simpathy, when you start to tell how you love GG, that makes me felt that i’m not the only one who make my friends love GG, but when you say how you think people might see your post as childish things..and tell how you feel about how you can’t hear, T.T you make me cry…sad yet happy story :’) *hugs*
Hwaiting!
Very emotional story. I am glad you shared, thank you.
First, to Ms. Diéfani Favareto Piovezan, welcome to the wonderful world of being a SONE ^_^
Second, this is a very, very touching and inspiring story. I’m sure many of us here also have that experience where the Girls played a major part in our lives, but yours is just awesome, and you give new meaning to “the power of nine.”
I hope the SoShi get to read this; inspired as you are of them, and amazing as the role they played in your recovery, I’m sure our dear SoShi will be inspired by your story, too. They do work hard for their fans, that is plain truth. Sometimes, we think they push themselves so hard for us fans and we have to tell them to take a rest! But that’s our Girls for you, and why we love and admire them so much.
Also, only 48 hours to recognize each member by face and voice! That’s an achievement, I think, even more so since you were adjusting to your implant! I think I took about two weeks or more XD
Best wishes on your full recovery! \o/
I’m tearing up reading the story.. It’s because both that I’m so proud of the girls and also I’m glad to know that their songs are helping people which is actually their hope in singing (to give strength to other people). By reading the story I feel really really glad that actually their goals of singing are reached little by little. Just as how I’m proud and glad by reading this story, I hope that our girls can also read this story.. So that they can feel glad too and more have the spirit to keep up their good work.
At the moment like this where I feel really really proud and glad to be a SONE..
Girls’ Generation Forever.. Girls’ Generation Hwaitinggg!!!!!
Touching story indeed. I am so glad to know you got your hearing back. I can feel tears coming up from e back of my eyes. May God bless you. :)
“My friend and I spent 48 hours awake in order to learn how to recognize each member. In the end, we were the ones answering the “who is who” questions on the YouTube comments. Every single day I would wake up and go straight to the computer to do my college work and listen to Girls’ Generation’s songs. I’ve bought a lot of their songs on iTunes. I’ve made Tiffany my desktop and iPhone background. Their songs are my ringtones. I stay up nights watching them.”
I did the same where the first time I meet them on Youtube..haha..Power of 9..:)
Hwaiting Girl! SONEs always there to support each other..;)
I completely teared up while reading this; strong appeal to pathos in your writing.
I was reminded so much of myself because Tiffany’s also my bias and she’s my wallpaper on both monitors haha.
It doesn’t sound silly at all. This is so touching that I actually cried too.
Yes, SSF! Can we find a way to make this known to the girls? I am very sure that they would be very happy to hear about this one. This is so amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m sure if the girls would hear about it, they would be very very happy and thankful as well. This is indeed quite a story!
I am glad that you got your hearing back =)
And please continue to love and support SNSD.
I have my own problem back then and even now. Listening to their song and watching their appearance on TV show give me a lot of strength. I know that i have God to rely on but snsd brightens my day. They are like the rays of light in dark cloudy day. My friends think that i am weird. But i don’t blame them or care of what they think of me going gaga over snsd because they would never know what i’ve been thru and what’s happening in my life.
All the best for you girl ^-^
Manly tears has been shed after reading this.
I wish the writer all the best and hopefully she’s be able to hear until 100%. Such a courage girl.
Gospeed!
i know it sounds silly. but i cried TT.
Congrats girl
i think not only you’re the one touched by them ^^
Hwaiting, besides the 9 girls, we SONEs will support you as well