At first she didn't recognize the sound of a cat purring on her lap, she said. "I'd forgotten how certain things sounded. You have to relearn sounds. I heard cicadas for the first time."

She said the implant is "certainly a miracle technology," but she had to return to Johns Hopkins regularly for adjustments.

Her hearing didn't return all at once, she said. "Two years ago I couldn't talk on the phone."

Portis' husband, Terry, is executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America which sponsored Sunday's walk.

She doesn't know how or why she lost her hearing, but she said that's not unusual. She travel around the country with her husband and talks to many people. "The vast majority are stumped about what caused their hearing loss," she said. "Our experiences are unique."

Portis headed up The American Dream Team, one of 22 teams at the Walk4Hearing in the Damascus recreational park, one of six held across the country this month. Portis said the money raised will be divided between the national and Frederick County hearing loss associations. About 250 participants were expected to raise $50,000 for hearing loss education and prevention programs, as well as hearing loss support groups.

In addition to raising money, she said, "We will raise awareness about hearing loss."

A very small percent of those with hearing loss use sign language, in part because communication with the hearing requires an interpreter, but Portis said she learned to sign before she lost her hearing so she could teach others to sign.

She never taught her children, now 16 and 17, to sign and she believes this may have contributed to them being good communicators.

"At a very young age," she said, "they tapped my shoulder for attention, made eye contact and spoke slowly. Now they connect with people with disabilities."

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