Archives for October 2014

Randy Murray, age 65, born with Bilateral Microtia and Atresia proudly wearing his two new Cochlear Americas Baha 4 sound processors.

Meet Randy Murray, a 65 year old from Michigan City, Indiana who was born with bilateral Microtia and Atresia.  Randy has struggled most of his life with his hearing loss due to atresia (absence of ear canals).  Over the years, as he has gotten older, Randy’s hearing has begun degrading, causing him to struggle even more at work and in social situations.  Randy applied for a bone anchored hearing device through his insurance, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, but his request for a hearing device was denied.  Randy did continue to appeal with his insurance provider and his appeal was denied as well, stating that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield “cannot say that [a Baha] is medically necessary for him at this time”….even though Randy has severe hearing loss in both of his ears.

Randy works as an assistant manager at a grocery store where he has been employed for forty eight years.  He is beginning to struggle with hearing his customers and his staff, while at the same time Randy says “if I do not get some kind of hearing aid, I will have to quit my job and be financially ruined.”  Randy’s wife, Diane, says that she really worries about him…“We cannot afford to purchase a hearing device out of pocket.”  Additionally, Randy says, “We cannot afford for me to not be working at this time either.”

While trying to figure out what to do for his hearing loss, Randy did visit with his audiologist, Dr. Steffanie Webber of the Franciscan Physician Network at Coolspring Health Center, to see what hearing devices are currently available.  Dr. Webber suggested that Randy try the Cochlear Baha 3 and when Randy did try on the Baha 3, he said “I was surprised at how much I could hear!”  “I heard her set her pen down on the desk and I have never heard that before.”  As you can imagine, after being denied by their insurance provider for the coverage of a Baha 3, Randy and his wife Diane were at a loss and were worried about Randy’s future, their future.

Luckily, Randy and Diane found the Ear Community Organization and applied for a hearing device for Randy.  “I do not want to lose my hearing and not be able to continue my lifestyle as it has been and lose my hearing completely without a hearing device to help me,” said Randy.  Both, Ear Community and Cochlear Americas believe in helping individuals hear better, especially if they have a severe hearing loss in both ears and are currently struggling with their hearing loss.  When Ear Community received Randy’s application, “Our board wanted to help Randy hear better so he would be able to keep up his lifestyle and keep his job,” said Melissa Tumblin, Founder and Executive Director of Ear Community.  Melissa explains that “a hearing loss is often an invisible disability and the public forgets how much of a struggle it is to function in everyday life without hearing…such as simply going to work and carrying on conversations with coworkers and customers.”  “We absolutely wanted to help Randy continue living his life by hearing everything in it and being happier.”

On September 25^th, 2014, Randy was fitted with two newly donated Cochlear Americas Baha 4 bone conduction hearing devices.  Dr. Steffanie Webber was happy to donate her time and services to help fit Randy with his new processors and program them for him.  Randy’s wife, Diane, is excited to start using the lapel microphone so she can carry on a conversation with Randy better throughout the house.  “It will make both of us much happier,” Diane said.

Ear Community is a nonprofit organization that helps the Microtia and Atresia community worldwide. Ear Community is so very thankful for the help that it receives and when other organizations come together to help Ear Community with its mission, to help children and adults born with Microtia and Atresia. “Thank you to Cochlear Americas for helping Randy live a better quality of life by donating two new Baha 4 processors so he can hear better at work, helping provide the customer service his customers expect from him and continue working his job” says Melissa Tumblin.

Ear Community would especially like to thank Kerri Lewandowski and Joanne Kernie of Cochlear Americas for donating two new Baha 4 processors to our foundation so Ear Community could help Randy hear better. “Cochlear is the global leader in implantable hearing solutions. It has a dedicated global team of more than 2,500 people who deliver the gift of sound to those with hearing loss in over 100 countries. Its vision is to connect people, young and old, to a world of sound by offering life enhancing hearing solutions. In 2013, Cochlear celebrates 100,000 Baha System users – all with unique stories of how being able to hear again has impacted their lives. The Cochlear promise of “Hear Now. And Always” embodies the company’s commitment to providing its recipients with the best possible hearing performance today and for the rest of their lives.”

From all of us at Ear Community…Randy, we hope you continue working for many more years to come, helping your customers the way you like to!

Thank you!
Melissa Tumblin
Founder and Executive Director of Ear Community
and
Ear Community Board of Director members
www.EarCommunity.org

Derek Dwyer, age 22, Bilateral Microtia and Atresia wearing his new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus system.

Meet Derek Dwyer, a 22 year old from Snellville, Georgia, currently attending Gwinnett Technical College. Derek was born with Nager Syndrome and bilateral Microtia and Atresia and is the youngest of three siblings. Derek loves music and all things computer related since he is working toward a college degree in computer engineering and graphic design. Derek’s parents never treated him any differently from his other two siblings (brother Devin Dwyer and older sister, Kelley Dwyer). However, Derek’s mom, Lynda Dwyer, has been concerned about his hearing loss over the years and was worried about Derek being social with friends and being able to hear well enough in school and in college.  While he has managed to get by, Derek does struggle with interpersonal communication and his family had hoped that his social circle would expand with his entrance to college. However, this has not yet happened for Derek and his family believes it may be partially due to the lack of confidence with his own voice, and his ability to participate in conversations and hear well in all situations. Derek’s sister, Kelley, says “Derek has been my biggest inspiration in life…he defies the expectations of a special needs person and knows no boundaries to his capabilities.” Derek lives in an apartment with his brother, Devin, and his roommates carrying on just like any college student would.

In May of this year (2014), Kelley graduated with her doctorate in Audiology and is currently a pediatric audiologist at Pediatric ENT of Atlanta in Georgia. Dr. Kelley Dwyer has waited her whole life to help her brother hear better and now that she is his audiologist for life, she finally gets the chance to do so. Dr. Dwyer has watched her brother struggle over the years and when growing up, her family didn’t always have the money to purchase hearing devices for him. Dr. Dwyer wants Derek to just feel comfortable everyday when being a part of social conversations. Dr. Dwyer says, “Derek never asks for anything, so I am going to ask for him.” She wanted him to adjust better to college when going back this fall. She says, “As a college student, I do not want him to struggle to hear the lecture content, when the content itself may be very difficult.”

Derek Dwyer and his family: (from the left: Dr. Kelley Dwyer (Derek’s sister), Derek Dwyer, Devin Dwyer (Derek’s big brother), and Lynda Dwyer (Derek’s Mom), at his fitting for his new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus system.

Dr. Kelley Dwyer found Ear Community (a 501c3 nonprofit organization) and decided to apply on behalf of Derek. On September 19^th, 2014, Dr. Dwyer fitted her brother with two new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus processors w/streamer.  This was an exciting day for not only Derek, but for his family too! Joining Derek in his fitting were his older brother Devin, and their mom, Lynda. Derek’s sister, Kelley, was proud to fit him with his new Oticon Medical processors and streamer knowing that this will change his life forever and help him excel in college and in life. “My family really appreciates all that Ear Community has done and specifically the work the organization does for individuals born with Microtia and Atresia and for the hearing loss community,” says Dr. Dwyer. Dr. Dwyer stated that, “Derek LOVES the processors and the streamer! We will likely get him the remote mic for Christmas that he can use during his college lectures. I really feel that this will make a big difference in his social and school capabilities.” “Ear Community is happy to have been able to help Derek hear better,” says Melissa Tumblin, Founder of Ear Community. “No adult or child should ever have to struggle with learning in school, says Melissa. “It’s important for Ear Community to help individuals like Derek. We have so many bright individuals in our world and to find out when someone is struggling with their hearing is very disappointing. Individuals like Derek can be so much more if they are only given the opportunity to hear better with a hearing device…it can be life changing.” says Melissa Tumblin.

Thank you Dr. Dwyer, for not only applying to Ear Community for Derek to obtain a hearing device, but also for donating your time and services to program his new processors.  Ear Community wishes to also say a very special thank you to Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing of Oticon Medical, for donating these hearing devices to Ear Community so that the foundation could help Derek. Thank you Alan, for helping Dr. Dwyer follow her dream as an audiologist by helping her brother hear better with Oticon Medical processors. Thank you for your support and for helping Ear Community continue with its mission of helping the Microtia and Atresia community. While the Ear Community organization is proud to have donated Derek’s new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus System, none of this would have been possible without Oticon Medical donating this amazing hearing device to Ear Community to begin with. Oticon Medical believes in helping individuals with hearing loss so that they can live a better quality of life. Oticon Medical is a well respected international hearing device manufacturer that is a part of the “William Demant Group [which has] 100-plus years of experience in audiology and sound processing and established manufacturing and logistics infrastructure.”

Derek, all of us here at Ear Community are so proud of you and we know that you will become an amazing technical professional when you earn your college degree. For now, enjoy your new ears and enjoy college. Congrats on hearing better and in building your self confidence.

Thank you,
Melissa Tumblin
Founder of Ear Community
and
Ear Community Board Members
www.EarCommunity.org