We are hoping to raise money for a very important and loving girl, Maebri Jackson, who is in 3rd grade. She currently has hearing aids and is rapidly losing her hearing. Mae and her 4 siblings and both parents all participate in our not-for-profit youth sports league called Cloud-9 Sports League. Mae loves playing soccer and volleyball and just about any sport we offer, along with her parents coaching and refereeing in the league. So we want to give back and help this family as much as possible! We will be offering other proceeds, such as ice cream sales, to this cause! Thank you for taking your time to read this sweet, brave girl's story! It’s heartbreaking for me to write this thinking that in just a few years Mae could be deaf. If we can just get enough funds to allow Dylan and Catarena to seek more medical care for their daughter, then just maybe they can find a cure.

I’ve asked her mother, Catarena (Cee Cee), to explain in much more depth about what is going on!

I am writing this letter to introduce my daughter, Maebri Jackson, to those of you that don't know her or her story. Mae Mae is a 9-year-old girl who plays soccer and volleyball with Cloud 9. She has 4 siblings and loves to make people happy. If Mae isn't on the soccer field with her cousin or at volleyball with her team, then she is watching her siblings play or is at the park playing with everyone that she can. Like many little girls, Mae Mae is silly, active in sports, and amazingly kind-hearted. Unlike many other girls, Mae has progressive unexplained hearing loss bilaterally and has hearing aids in both ears. This isn't something she was born with; in fact, we didn't even notice problems until a hearing screening with school in 2023. That screening was abnormal and sent us onto Region 3 Audiology for a more in-depth test. Region 3 was able to confirm some type of hearing loss, but we needed to have more testing done at Cardinal Glennon in St. Louis. In November of 2023, Cardinal Glennon confirmed a 5%-10% loss bilaterally. Mae had to undergo blood tests and a series of scans, including MRIs. No one was able to explain this loss, but we were told to increase speech therapy and continue hearing checks. We were also told we needed genetic testing on Mae and others in her immediate family that showed signs of hearing loss. Unfortunately, the genetic testing we need has a 2-year wait-list through Cardinal Glennon and is not covered by our insurance. We were told of a program through the University of Iowa that would give us answers much faster, but the costs are $1,950 per person. We were hopeful that we would have time to wait on the list for a call and continued prayers. Throughout the next year, we kept noticing a decline in what Mae seemed to hear, but thankfully, she was able to try different equipment at school (i.e., FM systems and microphones).

The next big shock was in October 2024. Mae went back to Cardinal Glennon for an annual check, and her hearing loss was now registering at 30%. With this, our next step was hearing aids. Mae was fitted and even got to pick out her own colors. After just 30 days, Mae had her new hearing aids, and we were hopeful that this would slow progression and maybe even stop it. At first, it was incredible. Mae was hearing things for the first time that we didn't even know she was missing. She heard a clock tick, she heard leaves rustling on the ground when she walked, she heard candy wrappers open at snack time, and noisy chewers at school. Mae and her Deaf Ed teacher even kept a little notebook to write down all the new sounds she was hearing. Music became everything to her quickly; she had liked it before, but after getting hearing aids, it was rare to find her not listening to Billie Eilish. Again, we were nervous about her hearing loss but held onto hope that we would have time to wait on genetic testing.

Unfortunately, in the last 6 months, we have continued to notice declines in Mae's hearing. Even after adjusting her hearing aids several times, she has been unable to hear us very well and sometimes not at all. If she isn't wearing her hearing aids, she doesn't even know you're speaking to her. This prompted another trip to ENT and Audiology, which confirmed what we suspected. Our most recent update is that as of May 2025, Maebri's hearing loss is at 45% in her left ear and 50% in her right. We have been told that there is no way of stopping it when we aren't sure what is causing it. We have been told that Maebri might not make it to 9th grade before she is completely deaf. We were also told it is a very good idea to begin learning ASL and to work with Maebri as much as possible so we are all prepared. We are all nervous, but Mae is such a strong, resilient girl, and we know that she will do amazing things, even if she hears the world differently than we do.

For now, we continue to look for more affordable sign language classes, but most classes are near $100 per person. With that being said, not only does Mae need to take the class, but everyone around her will also need to know how to sign so we can communicate back to her. Currently, we are overwhelmed, and we are worried. We have so many things to consider and learn as Mae navigates through a new way of life. We understand more challenges are sure to arise, but in the meantime, we will continue to support her in any way we can and take those challenges as they come. It has meant the world to have the support of not only Mae's biological family but her C9 family as well. Cloud 9 coaches, staff, and owners have gone above and beyond to show their support for Mae at every turn. They have worn special equipment so she can better hear them, have let her run and blow off steam, have celebrated her little moments and big moments alike, and cheered her on every step of the way. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the continued support of our girl, and we look forward to being a part of the Cloud 9 family for years to come!

-Catarena Cee Cee Jackson