Everyone who’s ever met Marwa agrees: she’s one of a kind.
There’s the fact that she was adopted from a foreign orphanage and brought to the States as an infant. Then, there are the two bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) strapped to her head with a pink, floral-printed headband. But you’ll probably notice her smile first – she’s the ultimate extrovert, bringing light and laughter to every room she enters.
Marwa has microtia atresia, which affects the development of the outer ear. From the moment they met her, Marwa’s parents knew their journey would be different.
“I hear the stories,” says Marwa’s mom, Fareen, “the baby fails the hearing test, the baby isn’t developing language… But we stepped into [the world of hearing loss] knowing what we were getting into. It was overwhelming, but we knew that this was something that we were going to figure out.”
In fact, Fareen and her husband, Asif, assumed at first that Marwa’s primary language would be sign — and they were all in. For months, they switched off nights so one parent could take an American Sign Language (ASL) course while the other cared for their daughter.
Then they learned that bone-anchored hearing aids (commonly called BAHAs) could be an option. Even with her microtia, BAHAs offered Marwa access to the world of sound, and a chance to learn how to talk.
And how she talks! Today, Marwa is a happy, confident eight-year-old who loves expressing herself creatively, whether in art class, a writing workshop, Cheers for Ears (FHSR’s annual family concert and gathering) and FHSR’s Music Therapy program.
FHSR provides children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families with opportunities to connect, learn, and grow through individualized programs, family events, and shared experiences. By creating a welcoming community where every child is understood, supported and celebrated for who they are, the Foundation helps children build confidence, develop lifelong connections and reach their fullest potential.
Therapist Erika Cowhey (MA, MT-BC, LPMT) remembers Marwa fondly from FHSR’s 2024 and 2025 Music Therapy cohorts: “Marwa was wonderful!” Erika says. “The first year one of our goals for her was to take a leadership role in the group and she blew that out of the water.” Erika remembers Marwa creating rhymes and rhymes in call-and-response games, and volunteering first for many activities – making her a role model for younger or more hesitant children.
That leadership experience, along with her natural chattiness and sunny personality have also helped Marwa become a strong self-advocate. “Her advocacy skills, her being able to stop someone when it becomes challenging for her to hear – that’s amazing,” says Fareen.
For Marwa’s parents, advocacy hasn’t always come as naturally. They describe themselves as “quiet, analytical, non-confrontational people.” But parenting a child with hearing loss has taught them to find their voices when she needs them.
“This is what they mean that you’ll do anything for your child,” says Fareen. “You’re literally altering your personality because your child needs it.”
Today, Asif and Fareen are FHSR Parent Ambassadors, sharing their experience and resources with other families. FHSR Education Coordinator, Dr. Anna Tess, always makes sure to connect them with other BAHA families at events, so they can share their journey with other families and learn from each other.
Because even with Marwa mainstreamed at an inclusive school, Marwa’s family craves community with others who understand their unique path. At FHSR events, Marwa gets to be around other children with hearing loss just like her, and devices just like hers. Her parents have found a community where they can both receive support and share what they’ve learned with new families.
“It’s one of my favorite things about working with FHSR,” says Erika Cowhey. “I love when a kid mentions something like ‘Oh, I just went to the audiologist – and other kids know what that’s like. How cool to not be the only person in the room with a device!” Marwa, she confirms, “didn’t have to explain herself or her BAHA, she was just accepted right away.”
Fareen puts it eve more strongly:
“To be unique but also to fit in is very – it’s a very DHH concept,” says Fareen. “Each child is so completely unique but you also fit into this community – that’s what we get at FHSR events.”
Different journeys. One community.
That’s what FHSR is here to provide: individualized, child-centered services and a community where every child can thrive.
Your support helps children like Marwa — each with their own story, dreams and potential — reach their fullest potential.