Chrisso is a qualified social worker and child carer. She is currently working as a Community Worker for deaf and hard-of-hearing people at the Ephpheta Centre. She also works with families tutoring them in Auslan and supporting their deaf journey.
Christiane Quartararo or “Chrisso” as she is known by those close to her is one of the most fun-loving people you will ever meet. She tells us that there is nothing she loves more than little kids and babies 😊!! Chrisso is a qualified social worker and child carer. She is currently working as a Community Worker for deaf and hard-of-hearing people at the Ephpheta Centre. She also works with families tutoring them in Auslan and supporting their deaf journey. In her lifetime, Chrisso has been on a deaf journey of her own that includes a saint, a cute barista, and good coffee 💖.
Firstly Chrisso, if you were to dress up in a HERO costume what would it be? It would have glitter, rainbows, and a crown!
What is your current Deaf/ Hearing identity? I have had many identities throughout my journey. I was born hearing, and when I began to lose my hearing I identified as hard of hearing. I now identify as Deaf based on my involvement with the Deaf Community.
Please share your childhood story and diagnosis. I was born hearing and grew up speaking. At the age of 14, I started having trouble following conversations with my friends and family. In the coming months, I was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type II (NF2) which is a condition associated with tumors growing on the central nervous system. It can lead to complications such as deafness, spinal cord compression, and facial nerve paralysis.
Is NF2 a genetic condition? Yes, NF2 is a genetic health condition. However, my mum and dad did not have it, which meant its diagnosis did not come quickly for me. I underwent a series of inconclusive hearing tests before an MRI revealed two acoustic neuroma tumors – one on my left hearing nerve and the other on my right. I was told that the surgical removal of both would result in complete deafness. I couldn’t blame my mum or my dad, no matter how much my teenage angst wanted me to.
That must have been such a difficult time for you. I had never been sick a day in my life and then to be diagnosed with an incurable disease that would be with me for the rest of my life was earth-shattering. I kept asking, Why is this happening to me?
There were a lot of tears, a lot of clinical speak, and even more confusion. This was tied up with a lack of understanding about Deaf culture and NF2, in general. I just couldn’t make sense of it. I remember just wanting to disappear.
After a challenging start to your hard-of-hearing journey, you grew up to be the positive role model we know today. What was the turning point? Upon my diagnosis, my family and I turned to an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) surgeon for advice. He read my file and suggested I go and learn Auslan straight away. I had no idea what that even was! That one exchange with my doctor changed my entire life. Learning Auslan has opened a whole new world for me.
The HEARO Team often talks about the “Yes, I can” moment when we overcome an obstacle or achieve something that might have seemed impossible before. Do you have a moment like that to share with us? When I finally handed in my Ph.D. thesis! This was a mammoth task, and I didn’t really have other deaf mentors during the process.
Tell us when you identified as Deaf. Over the years I struggled with the gradual loss of hearing in my right ear while finishing high school and university. After 12 years of living as a hard-of-hearing person, my family and I made the decision to remove the tumor from my right hearing nerve.
The HEARO Team often says, “It takes a village”. How is that true for you when you look back on your deaf journey? My village has been my rock made up of my close friends, my mum (who has been my absolute rock from the start), my family, niece, and goddaughters, my medical team who I trust more than life itself, and now my husband. They have all been the reason I get up and fight most days. As I said before, my ENT specialist gave me an incredible gift when he told me to learn Auslan. Learning and building relationships with people through a new language has given me access to communication and the opportunity to connect with people. I wouldn’t be who I am without my village!
What has been the highlight of your life so far? There are so many highlights. But one that stands out was meeting the love of my life and now husband at a cafe near where I worked at the time. He was a barista that not only made the best coffee, but he was also cute too! He didn’t know I was deaf at first but found out from a colleague. He then enrolled in an Auslan course without me knowing, started signing, and a few months later asked me out on a date.
It sounds like the perfect love story. Imagine, being deaf and falling for a barista at a cafe named after St Drogo, who happens to be the patron saint of coffee and deaf people. How incredibly fitting. We are two years married now and have a precious baby boy named Michael – he is an absolute joy!
That is a beautiful story, which shows there is more to life than being deaf or hard of hearing. Looking ahead, what are your dreams for the future? I have dreams that parents of newly diagnosed deaf children will be given the right information and access early on.
It’s a dream of mine to be able to work in the right field where I meet parents the day their child is diagnosed as deaf to be able to educate them that being deaf is not a scary thing. It means a different way of life, but by no means is that any less than another way. I dream of the day parents are empowered by the right information and not thrown into a world where they feel their child won’t succeed.
Thanks for sharing your incredible story. Is there one more thing you’d like to share with a young person who is deaf or hard of hearing? There is absolutely nothing stopping you from achieving your goals, dreams, and ability to take on the world. You will never know how amazing you are if you don’t try!