Those of you who know me, know that I love to share a good story (or two), and I wanted to share a few with you that have touched my heart.

We recently held our annual Hearing for the Holidays Mission and the stories of our recipients are simply incredible:

One of our recipients, a young man with such a profound hearing loss he was nearly deaf, actually had hearing aids already. However, these hearing aids were about 10 years old and barely made a difference in his ability to hear. He had a baby on the way and was trying to hold down a job. Communication with this large of a loss was a daily struggle, let alone adding a newborn into the mix.

Can you imagine the pressure he was under every day to try to understand his coworkers and not make mistakes on the job? A job he needs even more so with a growing family.

Thanks to our help, he can now hear clearly again. The barrier of hearing his coworkers is gone and more importantly, he can now hear his precious newborn. He will not miss those little coos, midnight cries, and first words.

Yes, his baby was born – it’s a girl!

Another recipient had such serious hearing loss that he contemplated applying for disability. This young man, a college graduate, was willing to give up his entire career in a health-related profession because he simply could not communicate with his patients.

Can you imagine giving up what you worked for your entire life because you cannot hear? The only work setting he could communicate in was a part-time position.

Since the mission, he is now working full time and his income has more than doubled. He is confident at work and now knows he can take care of daily bills and cover his cost of living. His whole personality has changed – he is no longer defeated by his hearing loss.

A 90-year-old mission recipient had hearing aids that were over 10 years old. She lived alone in a house trailer and had very little interaction with the outside world. Her only communication was with family face to face and she could only recognize her daughter’s voice by telephone.

With old hearing aids, and one not even working at all, it was impossible for her to hear. She would make phone calls to her friends and say, “I won’t be able to hear what you say back, but I just want you to know that I miss you and am thinking about you.” All she wanted was to be able to hear on the telephone.

With all the new advances in hearing aids, she is better connected to the outside world. She is hearing better than she has in many, many years and is happier than can be.

It is evident that hearing connects us in more ways than one. These are just three stories of how new hearing aids can be a life-changing difference.

Hearing loss can significantly impact a person’s quality of life and since it is not life-threatening, I believe it does not get the medical attention it deserves. Hearing loss can cause depression, lead to social isolation, and anxiety, reduce our income, and lead to cognitive decline.

The connection between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline is serious. Take preventative measures and make sure to alert others to any hearing difficulties you may have and get your hearing tested yearly.

Hear and enjoy life to the fullest!

 – Dr. Sheryl Figliano

Happenings

1. Hear Share: The industry’s first and only caregiver app, Thrive Care, recently updated to Hear Share.

With Hear Share, you can share helpful information like your physical activities, hearing aid usage, and social engagement with pre-selected people. You decide what to share from your Thrive Hearing Control app

Designed to help hearing aid wearers live independently and safely, while also giving their loved ones peace of mind.

2. Hearing For the Holidays: Our annual Hearing for the Holidays hearing mission with our foundation, the Hearing Missions Foundation, was a great success as we were able to help more individuals in need to hear the world around them. Our day was filled with laughter, love, and sounds that many individuals weren’t used to.

Giving back and helping those locally in our community means the world to us.

“For it is in giving that we receive” – St. Francis of Assisi

3. February 14th: Valentine’s Day is approaching, and you know what that means…chocolates!

Consuming dark chocolate can not only improve your health but your hearing as well. As always moderation is key, but rest easy knowing that dark chocolate is good for your ears.

Learn more about the connection between chocolate and hearing loss here.

Who We Are Celebrating…

This month join us in celebrating Gina Petrinjak. Gina is a licensed audiology aide who has been with Centers for Hearing Care for 10 years.

“What I love most about working at Centers for Hearing Care is that everyone here has become more like family, which makes work a great place to be.

I also love how much we give back to others. I have been fortunate to go on an international mission trip back in 2014 to Dominica, plus I have been to all the local missions we have done right here in the Valley.