Leanna Rowe

Leanna was born, raised and currently lives in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. She is a Registered Nurse ands works on a large General Surgery floor at the Health Sciences in St. John’s. Leanna was born profoundly deaf and wore hearing aids up until the age of seven when she was implanted with a cochlear implant on her right ear. She received her second implant much later in life, at age seventeen, on her left ear. Leanna has always been an active member in her community, whether being involved in numerous team sports, giving back to the community by volunteering and doing many extracurricular activities. The Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA) Chapter of Newfoundland and Labrador has always been an organization that is near and dear to her heart. Leanna has been involved with the organization for more than ten years and in many ways. She has been a client, a volunteer, an employee and an active member on the CHHA-NL Board of Directors. She also served as a member of the CHHA- Young Adult Network for over five years as a Director, Vice-President and President.

Being a part of CHHA has been life changing for Leanna. She states that she used to always feel like a person who was caught in between, that she never felt like she fit in with people who were hearing but also could not seem to fit in with those who identified themselves as being Deaf. It was not until she discovered CHHA that she realized that we are all different variations of the same but CHHA is a place that brings everyone together. Leanna has made lifetime friends, heard stories that inspired her and overall helped to shape her into the person that she is today. Her dream for CHHA would be to work together to continue to foster growth in the membership, including young adults who will someday be the future of CHHA. As the Young Adult Representative on the National Board, she hopes to take her years of experience working within various levels of this organization and continue to foster the growth of the CHHA network of young adults with hearing loss in this country. She is looking forward to being the liaison between the Young Adults Network and the CHHA- National Board of Directors. Leanna’s dream for CHHA is that she hopes that together we can continue to influence the lives of others as CHHA has influenced and shaped her life.