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Natalie Saxon defies all odds and wins spelling bee

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Natalie Saxon, 12. Photo submitted by Patsy Saxon

6th grader, Natalie Saxon, was born completely deaf in her right ear but still defies all the odds set against her.

Saxon attends Vicksburg Intermediate School where she not only excels in academics, she is also a gifted speller. She’ll turn 13 on March 10, and has already made her mark on the world.

Saxon won her first spelling bee in class and went on to compete on a larger scale for the school. She then won the school’s bee and proceeded to compete in her district. Determined to succeed, she took 1st place at the District competition and will be competing in the Mississippi Statewide Spelling Bee later this year. If she wins the State Bee, she will proceed to Nationals.

Saxon’s Great Aunt, Wendy Bailey is especially happy to celebrate her niece’s accomplishments. Bailey has watched Saxon’s journey unfold since Saxon’s birth and has made it clear that seeing her niece prevail fills her heart with an abundance of joy.

Bailey was proud to speak on Saxon’s behalf about all she has overcome. Bailey noted that Saxon, “Has miraculously had no speech problems or really any problems at all despite being born deaf.” She then went on to inform, “Natalie is looking to do bone construction surgery. She has an appointment on Jan 28 to make sure she wants to have the procedure.”

Unfortunately, Saxon is not a candidate for a Cochlear Implant, but bone reconstruction may be an option for restoring hearing to her right ear. The surgery is not guaranteed to work but there is a good chance that it will.

Bone reconstruction will allow Saxon’s ears to process sounds that vibrate from within her skull. According to Bailey, the surgery could make it possible for her niece to process sounds heard similar to when one grinds their teeth or chews a carrot. The procedure can allow Saxon to hear through her bones which will then reverberate off of the functioning left ear. This can potentially lead to her hearing being fully restored.

Whether or not Saxon decides to go through with the surgery, it’s obvious that she isn’t going to let anything stop her from excelling. Saxon is currently in the Gates program and has furthermore been invited to attend a summer school in Washington D.C. for her academic excellence.

In a closing statement, Bailey wanted Saxon to know, “I am so proud of her for overcoming deafness, defeating obstacles, being in Gates and for being invited to Washington D.C.” She went on to add, “Natalie, your whole family is very, very proud of you and we love you.”

 

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