“I have wanted to talk about a personal issue for a long time, which very few people know about,” the Georgian Olympian began in a speech. long post on social media. “I have grade 3 bilateral sensorineural hearing loss.”
She explained how the condition affects speech clarity, information processing and overall hearing, noting that she first developed the condition as a result of an “incorrect dose of antibiotics” at the age of two.
“I became a completely different child – I stopped talking, became unresponsive to things around me and became quiet and withdrawn,” Davis recalls.
The condition also affected the way she interacted with others: “When you live with something like that, your brain works differently: information reaches you later than most people.”
Still, it hasn’t stopped Davis from skating with her longtime partner – and husband – Gleb Smolkin.
“I can hear music well (except for certain frequencies), but I often don’t understand the words,” she wrote, noting that she can “hear the intonation and feel the emotion.”
She originally chose to remain silent about her struggles. However, it began to dawn on the 22-year-old that she could do more help than harm, spreading awareness of the condition through the platform she built as an elite athlete.
“I want people who suffer from the same condition not to be ashamed or withdrawn into themselves, not to be afraid to try sports, and not to listen to those who try to limit them,” Davis claimed. “I share this not out of sympathy, but so that people with similar problems can understand that this should not change anything.”
Her post quickly went viral and generated an outpouring of love and support from the figure skating community.
Olympians Madison Chock, Donovan Carrillo and Tim Koleto commented on her post with a slew of heart emojis, while Lithuanian Allison Reed commented: “You are perfect and gorgeous in every way!!”
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