Gordon said that she appreciates everyday regardless of the challenges they may bring.

“My day is much like everyone else’s, but I have to focus much harder and it can be very tiring to hear,” she said. “I wear my cochlear implant from the time I wake up until I go to bed because I cannot hear a thing without it. The lupus makes me very tired and the meds are sometimes worse than the disease itself.”

She added, “ The hardest part about being deaf and having lupus is that I look normal to everyone else. Deafness is not visible to others so people assume you hear and often think you are rude if you ask them to repeat things. They may also think you’re ignoring them if you don’t respond to a comment because you didn’t hear it. Since the lupus attacks my major organs, it causes a wide range of medical problems for me. The treatments are toxic and there is no cure for the disease at this time. More awareness of lupus is crucial!”

Gordon said that in spite of her difficulties, “I have never considered letting lupus or being deaf hold me back from fulfilling the purpose God has set for my life.”

Gordon finds happiness in operating A Fitting Place and spending time with her husband, two children, a daughter-in-law and one grandson.

She added that she has a wonderful church family.

Gordon has had several accomplishments, which include being voted Deaf Person of the Year by Quota Club International in 1997. She said her main goal in life is to help others.

“It keeps my mind off my own difficulties and helps me focus more on others. Every day I feel so blessed to wake up and be able to go to work that I don’t take even the smallest things for granted. The wonderful people in my life, my family, friends and co-workers inspire me to be the very best I can.”