Jeremy Runnells

Runnells grew up as a sixth-generation member of the LDS Church with pioneer ancestry,^[3] which traces back to Nauvoo, Illinois.^[4]

Runnells was born in Whittier, California and grew up in various cities across Southern California. He was diagnosed with mild hearing loss at age 3 or 4. He wore hearing aids over the course of his youth. In the same timeframe as his diagnosis, his parents divorced. He served an LDS Church mission in New York City to teach the deaf in American Sign Language (ASL). He knew some ASL before his mission but learned the language properly during his mission. His hearing loss gradually progressed from mild to severe over the course of 20 years. He got a left cochlear implant when he returned from his mission, and a right one seven years later. After his mission, Runnells attended and graduated from church-owned Brigham Young University with a major in marketing. He met his wife in his junior year, and they were married in the San Diego California Temple.^[4]

In 2012, he began to experience doubts over his faith in the LDS Church. An institute director in the Church Educational System asked him to write his concerns. In response, Runnells sent an 84-page letter with his concerns.^[5]