By BOBBIE GREEN
The Progress
The Mesquite Chamber of Commerce held its annual Poolside Luncheon at the Casablanca Resort on Wednesday, April 10. The event was enhanced this year with a truly inspirational talk by Justin Osmond, son of Merril Osmond, lead singer and bassist of the original Osmond Brothers.
Justin was born 90 percent deaf into a family of musicians and singers. His inspiring talk discussed how he felt growing up in a silent world.
“I went to intense speech lessons for thirteen years so I could be able to talk with this deaf accent so, you all could understand me,” he told the attendees.
Osmond used a lot of humor in his talk. When he first obtained hearing devices, besides his family’s voices, he said that he liked hearing the toilet flush.
Osmond said that he did not like being told he would never be able to sing or play an instrument. He wanted to be like everyone else. “I finally realized I didn’t want to be like everyone else I wanted to be me,” he said. “Once an individual understands that, they will be much happier with themselves.”
“Everyone has something in their life that is broken,” Osmond said. “With me it was my hearing. Other people have other challenges. I decided my hearing loss was not going to own me I was going to own it. Don’t let your challenges define you, let them refine you, that is my motto.”
Osmond related that he really wanted to play a musical instrument. He quickly learned that he could use the vibrations from sound waves for hearing. It took a long time and a lot of discouraging moments. But he prevailed and now plays the violin, viola, piano and drums. He even played a violin solo for the audience.
Osmond told of other accomplishments he had made, despite his disability. He has written a book entitled “Hearing with my Heart.” He has earned a master’s degree and started a charity. And he has become a motivational speaker, with his deaf accent.
“People are always trying to guess where my accent is from,” he joked.
Osmond left the audience with these words, “Don’t fake it, face it, and challenge your limits.”
