The Story Behind the Photo: Love Can Build a Bridge

Timothy Mast, QI of Wooster's 2002 Community Champion, is truly an inspiration to his family, his community, and Quotarians in Ohio, U.S.A. At six months of age, Tim developed a high fever and was left profoundly deaf. After struggling for 16 years as a student in an oral education program, Tim enrolled at the Ohio School for the Deaf, which instilled in him a sense of pride and self-confidence as a deaf person plus new skills in American Sign Language. Since then, Tim has befriended and mentored many hard-of-hearing visitors to his home, providing encouragement and teachings from his heart.

Today, Tim and his wife Doris share their love of life with four children, a hearing daughter and three adopted hearing-impaired children from South America. Transportation to pick up five-year old Lia, the newest member of the Mast family pictured here with her father, was generously provided by QI of Wooster.

Tim was once asked, "If there were a medical way to become hearing, would you do it?" "In a heartbeat," Tim replied. "Why would I want to be hearing? I am deaf. That is who I am, and I am satisfied. Now if you are talking about heaven, there I want to be hearing!"