Saturday, April 5, 2025 | Country Acres • Page 1
Country Acres Saturday, April 5, 2025
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Volume 12, Edition 04
Focusing on Today’s Rural Environment
worldwide audience PHOTOS SUBMITTED
Beth Leipholtz (from left), Cooper Carlson and Brandon Carlson smile in November 2024 in rural Buffalo. Cooper was diagnosed with Waardenburg syndrome when he was an infant.
Mother, son duo uses social media to spread positivity, inclusion BY RAE LANZRATH STAFF WRITER
ALEXANDRIA — People who live in the country tend to find room to roam, scenic views and a lack of traffic appealing. Brandon Carlson and Beth Leipholtz are no exception. However, the couple has had to balance their rural lifestyle with finding adequate services for their son, Cooper, who is deaf. From advocating for Cooper within the local school district to posting their weekly chats in the car on TikTok, the family has been able to continue living on their hobby farm in rural Douglas County while navigating Cooper’s diagnosis and educating others about accessibility and inclusion. On September 7, 2019, Cooper was born a healthy baby boy. “He referred (did not pass) on his
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newborn hearing screening, which is not abnormal,” Leipholtz said. “A lot of times, it’s just fluid in their ears, and it resolves itself.” The care team told Leipholtz to bring Cooper back for a follow-up test and that his hearing would probably be better after a few weeks. The hope was that the fluid would not be present at that point. Cooper was also born with a white patch of hair on top of his head, and the rest dark. Leipholtz began doing some research and, with the help of a Facebook group, found that a white forelock is potentially an indicator of Waardenburg syndrome. As Leipholtz learned more about the condition, she said she realized her newborn had several symptoms consistent with Waardenburg syndrome — a white forelock, wider set eyes, a flatter nasal bridge and bright blue eyes. “Then, I got to the part about
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being deaf,” Leipholtz said. “There are a few moments in your life where the world just stands still. … That was definitely one of those moments for me.” Within a few days, they re-tested Cooper’s hearing, and, once again, he failed the test. After getting a second opinion, the family was sent to Children’s Minnesota Hospital in the Twin Cities. “On October 18, 2019, we received his official diagnosis,” Leipholtz said. Cooper was diagnosed with Waardenburg syndrome and is profoundly deaf. Following his diagnosis, an MRI was done to determine if Cooper would be a candidate for cochlear implants. The family began incorporating American Sign Language into their everyday routine as well. Ultimately, MRI results showed that Cooper was eligible for cochlear implants since he had a functioning auditory nerve. Cochlear implants are electronic
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Simply springtime syrup Clotho
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An ambassador for dairy Tiffany Klaphake column
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Beth Liepholtz’s book, “The ABCs of Inclusion,” is displayed March 2023 at Cherry Street Books in Alexandria. The children’s book introduces readers to 26 children with different diagnoses.
devices that bypass non-functioning parts of the inner ear by converting sound into electrical signals, which are sent to the auditory nerve and interpreted by the brain as sound, Leipholtz said. Cooper’s hearing loss is due to the lack of pigmentation of the hair inside his ear, similar to the hair on top of his head. His auditory nerve is unaffected by Waardenburg syndrome, allowing him to use cochlear implants. The internal piece of the cochlear implant sits under the skin behind Cooper’s ear and stimulates his auditory nerve. An external processor uses a magnet to attach to the implant through the skin, and that part must be attached for him to hear.
Dairy Princess Q&A’s
Leipholtz page 2 21 A nursery like no other St. Stephen
18 Across the acres Q&A 19 Country cooking Pope County
Plus check out even more stories in B Section!