Ariel Doron Moves To Her Own Beat In Colorguard

Photo Credit: ALEXANDRA MADAR

BY JACKIE WEISER

Under luminous stadium lights on a breezy Friday night, sophomore Ariel Doron pivots her flag, moving gracefully as she sways to the Sound of Pride’s routine. As the drum line picks up, she doesn’t miss a beat. Twirling her flag faster, she propels it into the air and catches it with effortless precision. Applause erupts throughout the bleachers as the crowd rises to their feet. Doran looks up, grins and continues her dance routine. Watching Doron perform with such ease, no one would ever guess she has a hearing impairment.

Doron was born with Cholesteatoma, a congenital disease that causes expanding growths inside the middle of the ear. After enduring numerous ear infections at age two, her parents decided to consult a doctor about their daughter’s problem. Unfortunately she was misdiagnosed, resulting in more serious infections. By the time they got a second opinion, it was too late: The Cholesteatoma had eaten away at the bones around her eardrums, permanently affecting both ears.

Since she was toddler, Doron has undergone 12 surgeries in an attempt to remove the growths. The disease severely impacted her sense of hearing in her right ear, requiring the use of a hearing aid. Her left ear was only moderately affected.

“Luckily, I got some of my hearing back,” said Doron. “But my right ear was so damaged that I needed a hearing aid. Nothing else could be done.”

Doron’s hearing impairment made school and daily activities a struggle. She was no longer able swim, her favorite sport.

“I had to wear ear plugs and a special wrap around my head to prevent water from getting in my ears,” Doron said. “I would look ridiculous and couldn’t hear anything.”

Aside from swimming, keeping up in school was also a challenge. She remembers feeling frustrated when she was unable to completely comprehend lessons. To compensate, she spent endless hours studying.

Finally in fifth grade, Doron’s hard work paid off. Her performance on her report card indicated she made the honor roll, something she had been striving to achieve.

“It made me feel like I could accomplish something,” Doron said. “It really motivated me and showed me that I’m not much different from anyone else.”

Freshman year, she heard about the color guard through her cousins, Kortney and Kayla Bajor, Winter Guard members at Monarch High School. After watching a performance, Doron was instantly mesmerized. With full support from her parents, she tried out for Cooper City High’s Color Guard earned a spot on the team.

“We knew she could do it,” her mother Beth Doron said. “We told her it was a good idea for her to try out.”

Even though she made the cut, there was still a question of if she would be able to keep up. The Cholesteatoma had also affected her balance, making it more difficult for her to move swiftly on her feet. With no previous dancing experience, Doron was first nervous about staying on beat in the routines. To avoid mistakes she fully focuses on the music, listening carefully. Throughout practice she watches her teammates and does her best to follow their every move when she feels lost. Doron also spends numerous hours at home going over the routines. Yet, she got past the initial struggling, and proved she could pull her own weight. She even participates in Winter Guard, Color Guard in its off-season, where she met a group of accepting and encouraging friends.

“She fits in perfectly in Color Guard,” captain Elizabeth Colbourn said. “She’s a great dancer and just a great person to be around.”

Doron recently got a special hearing aid that tunes into the TV and telephone and enhances each sound, helping her succeed in her honors courses. Though she has to work harder in school, she has learned that the key factor to accepting her situation is learning to like herself for who she is. She enjoys picking out bright colors for her hearing aids because she doesn’t mind people seeing it.

“I raised her not to feel sorry for herself,” Beth Doron said. “We wanted her to be able to take life on by herself.”