By Hannah Jessen Conway
Hannah’s first children’s book was inspired by her younger son Shepherd. It was published just before he turned 1.
In December 2023, our second son was born. Because he arrived so close to Christmas, we named him Shepherd after the shepherds in the Christmas story, who were the first to hear the news of Jesus’s birth.
Three weeks later, we learned our Shepherd could not hear at all.
As I’m sure many hearing parents can relate to, this diagnosis came as a complete shock. Quite honestly, it was hard to come to terms with—at first. But the more we learned about the richness of Deaf culture and the more we saw how Shepherd experienced the world, the more we realized love is not confined to one culture, defined by one ability, or limited to one sense.
So we immersed ourselves in American Sign Language (ASL), found community with other parents of children with hearing loss, and pursued bilateral cochlear implants. One of the biggest sources of encouragement during those intense months was hearing the stories of other families who had walked a similar path. I found myself wanting to “pay it forward” one day. I just wasn’t sure how.
Then, on a winter night when Shepherd was sick, I was rocking and singing to him. This was months before his cochlear implant surgery, and in a moment of discouragement, I told my husband I felt silly singing because I knew he couldn’t hear me.
With cochlear implants in both ears, Shepherd, now a toddler, has been thriving with both spoken and sign language.
My husband gently reminded me that Shepherd didn’t need to hear me to feel my love. He could see me smiling at him, could feel me holding him, could even smell me, my mother’s scent familiar to his little senses. In that moment, a story was born—one that explored how love is much more than a sound.
“Love Sounds Like” may have started as a love letter to my deaf son, but it has turned into so much more. I work in marketing and have always dreamed of writing my own children's books. It felt like that door was finally opening, so I walked through it.
After pouring my heart into the book for months, “Love Sounds Like” was published in late 2024, just weeks before Shepherd’s 1st birthday. Since then, it has found its way into the homes of thousands of Deaf and hearing families around the world.
It’s been a humbling, life-changing experience to share our family’s story and encourage others on a similar path. I’ve had the privilege of speaking at schools, nonprofits, libraries, and medical organizations, but my favorite moments are the ones with parents just starting their family’s hearing loss journey who tell me the book reassured them that everything is going to be okay.
And it will be. Our kids can experience the world differently and still experience our love. Now, Shepherd is 2 1/2 years old and is thriving with both spoken and sign language, alongside both hearing and deaf friends. What a privilege this journey has been. I wouldn’t change a single thing.
Hannah Jessen Conway lives in North Carolina with her family. For more, see hjconway.com/shop (use code “DHHBooks” for a discount on signed copies). The book is also available on online bookstores.
The Latest Blog Posts
One of the biggest sources of encouragement during those intense months after getting Shepherd’s diagnosis was hearing the stories of other families who had walked a similar path.