Johnson shocked by the sound of her own voice

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November 24, 2008

By Darragh Doiron

The News staff writer

Goldie Johnson has been smiling and nodding her head for years.

Agreeable personality? Yes, but mostly she did it because she just couldn’t make out what people were saying. Gradual hearing loss made everything sound garbled.

A Port Arthur Sertoma Club’s donation enabled Trinity Hearing and Balance Center to fit Johnson with a hearing aid. Johnson said her life has opened up from the minute it was in her ear.

“It was a shock to hear my voice,” Johnson recalled. “I can hear the TV and understand the words.”

Johnson recently addressed the club and got a little tearful sharing her appreciation. Club members got just as misty hearing her story.

Carol Landry, Johnson’s daughter, said her mother has been more open and less restrained now that she can hear what people are telling her, instead of all that smiling and nodding.

“She has gotten her independence back. When she couldn’t hear, she was almost completely dependent on me,” Landry said. “She’s a very special person. She truly is. She’s very talented. She has the patience of Job.”

Johnson uses some of that talent to paint. The American flag is one of her beloved themes.

“So many people take our country and our freedoms for granted. They don’t know how to honor the flag. They push it aside,” Johnson said.

She doesn’t mind taking her time with her creations.

“One thing is, it’s relaxing. It’s like painting a puzzle. You do a little bit at a time and you go back and connect it,” she said.

Dr. Kelly McConnel and her husband, Robert, of Trinity Hearing set Johnson up with the hearing aid. He also called Johnson a special and delightful person.

She’s a member of Bethel Baptist Church and her daughter said she sews beautifully, makes dolls and teddy bears, stitches and makes a great gumbo.

“I don’t do much bragging, except on my mother,” she said.

ddoiron@panews.com