Late last week, The 91.5 FM Costen Insurance Morning Show got a note from Tessa.

"I am Tessa, a Deaf mom, wife and entrepreneur from Cremona, Alberta, 30 minutes north of Cochrane. I was born profoundly Deaf and my parents found out when I was 2. I speak well and I do American Sign Language. I wear my hearing aid, and I can hear a lot, but without it, I hear absolutely nothing."

"Approaching any front desk in any business building, is not easy for many, especially for people with hearing loss. I love to go out and enjoy locally-made food, especially for family outings and meetings. But before I do that, I always have this in the back of my head, "Will they understand me? Will they turn me away? Will they mess up my order?"

Tessa was writing Lauren & Eric to tell of an amazing experience she had at a local Cochrane business.

"A beautiful experience happened to me last Monday at Guy's Bakery in Cochrane. I approached the front desk to make my order. I said, "Hi!" The woman who was working the morning shift was all ready for me. She noticed that I was Deaf, and she immediately started to do sign language to me!"

"I just jumped and got so excited! How amazing is that!? It is VERY rare. I do meet a lot of Hearing people that know a word or two, which is awesome! But it is rare to meet someone hearing who knows almost all ASL or fluent ASL."

It's stories like this that really showcase why Cochrane is such a special community. Lauren & Eric visited Vanessa and surprised her with flowers, movie and bowling passes as thanks for going above and beyond. 

"I am always going to be full of peacefulness and gratitude for that experience!" Tessa says. "It was honestly the FIRST TIME I was able to order my stuff in fluent ASL in probably over 10 years, in a smaller town."