Archives for October 2015

Oticon Focus on People

Camilla Gilbert of Cincinnati, Ohio is among the outstanding individuals with hearing loss honored by the 2015 Oticon Focus on People Awards, a national competition that celebrates individuals who are helping to eliminate negative stereotypes of what it means to have a hearing loss.  As the First Place Winner in the Advocacy Category, Camilla was honored at a special awards ceremony at Oticon, Inc. US headquarters in Somerset, New Jersey on October 8. More than 120 hearing care professionals from across the US attended the event to celebrate Camilla’s achievements. As part of her award, Camilla has designated the non-profit Ear Community as her choice for a $1,000 donation from Oticon, Inc.

More than 10,000 votes were cast by people from across the country to help determine who among the 12 finalists would be the 2015 first, second and third place winners in the Adult, Student, Practitioner and Advocacy categories.

Camilla was born with bilateral microtia, a congenital condition in which the ears do not fully develop and which can result in hearing loss.  As a child, she was fitted with a bone anchored hearing solution that she covered with a headband every day until age 26 when she found information about her condition and much needed support in the non-profit Ear Community. Today, the young girl who hid her hearing loss from the world is a confident adult who educates and advocates for others with hearing loss. Camilla serves on the committee for the Ear Community’s Microtia and Atresia Support Group and is a past president of Southwest Ohio chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America.

“Individuals like Camilla are inspiring role models for people living with hearing loss,” states Oticon President Peer Lauritsen. “The remarkable people who are honored in this year’s Oticon Focus on People Awards program have taken their unique circumstances and transformed their lives with a positive outlook that has enabled them to overcome challenges and accomplish goals well beyond what many thought possible.”

Peer Lauritsen, President of Oticon, pictured with Camilla Gilbert, Ear Community Board Member and winner of the Focus on People Award for outstanding advocacy.

The Oticon Focus on People Awards program was created in 1997 by Oticon, Inc., one of the world’s oldest and most respected hearing instrument manufacturers.  By celebrating the accomplishments and contributions of individuals with hearing loss, Oticon, Inc. aims to call attention to common misconceptions about hearing loss and motivate people with hearing loss to take advantage of the help that is available to them.   The company’s goal is to reach out to the 80 percent of an estimated 28 million Americans who could benefit from hearing solutions, but who fail to seek professional help.

“The Ear Community Organization is proud to have Camilla Gilbert as one of our board members,” says Melissa Tumblin.  “Camilla, has been a member of Ear Community’s online support group, the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook, for the past four years, helping members understand more about Microtia and Atresia as an adult in the same situation.  Camilla was also Ear Community’s first college scholarship recipient  and since then has gone on to further her education with a degree in social work.  “Thank you for being a part of Ear Community in so many ways Camilla!…. from someone searching for support to becoming a support group member offering support to others now and to becoming an Ear Community board member.”  “Thank you also for selecting the Ear Community Organization as the charity organization of your choice to receive $1,000.00 (USD) from Oticon so that our organization can continue to help even more individuals born with Microtia and Atresia in need.”  “The Ear Community Organization is honored to receive this donation!”  Thank you very much to Oticon for making these funds possible for organizations such as Ear Community and for individuals like Camilla, so that we can continue advocating with our voices, helping individuals in the same situation, everywhere.”  – Melissa Tumblin, Founder of Ear Community

Read the inspirational stories of all 12 winners of the Oticon Focus on People Awards here  and the following link is where you can hear Camilla’s thank you speech, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTtJTMQk6t4&feature=youtu.be

October 6, 2015, Lebo Pretty Ndladla wearing her new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus hearing devices with her new Oticon Medical monkey, Massie

Meet Lebo Pretty Ndladla from Shongwe Mission in South Africa.  Little Lebo is 6 years old and was born with bilateral Microtia and Atresia including Treacher Collins Syndrome.  While Lebo is surrounded by much love from her family in the small village they live in, Lebo still  struggles to hear her family and friends communicating and to hear all of the sounds that surround her everyday.

Through a radio broadcast, Lebo’s mother, Xolisile Mgwenya, heard about a nonprofit organization in South Africa, called the Give An Ear Foundation that helps children born with Microtia and Atresia.  Pretty’s family made contact with Viola Nwadike, the Founder of the Give An Ear Foundation, and asked for help for Lebo.  Viola was familiar with the Ear Community Organization in the United States and knew how Ear Community also helps children born with Microtia and Atresia from all over the world obtain hearing devices.  And…. so Viola applied on behalf of Lebo in hopes of helping her hear better.  Through the help and commitment of both the Give An Ear Foundation and the Ear Community Organization, both nonprofits were able to find help for Lebo, together.  The Ear Community Organization and Give an Ear Foundation contacted Tanya Hanekom of the South African Association for Audiologists (SAAA) who made the necessary arrangements for free hearing tests and programming of the donated hearing devices.

On Wednesday, October 6th of 2015, little Lebo and her mother,  Xolisile, traveled with Viola Nwadike to the Lowveld Hearing Centre in White River and Nelspruit to receive Lebo’s new Oticon Medical hearing devices that were donated through the Ear Community Organization.  Ear Community wishes to thank  Nizha Ford and Cathy Flores (Audiologists) for donating their time and services to help fit and program Lebo’s newly donated Oticon Medical Ponto Plus hearing devices and streaming device.  Kaylini Naidoo of Oticon Medical traveled from Johannesburg as well to be a part of this amazing day for Lebo bringing with her the new Ponto Plus hearing devices, a stuffed monkey that also wears an Oticon Medical Ponto Plus, and some fun treats.

When Lebo arrived at Lowveld Hearing Centre in Nelspruit, she was understandably nervous and overwhelmed at all the eager faces excited to help her. Following the hearing tests Lebo’s new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus hearing devices were clipped onto a soft band and put on her head. As the devices were turned on Pretty’s face lit up and the sheer jubilation at hearing her mother say her name brought the room to tears. Her reaction was priceless and her mother’s emotional response at hearing her child say her own name was indescribable.  In a lovely story that was released by the Lowveld Hearing Center it was said that “There is no greater gift than the gift of giving.  A little girl from Shongwe’s life was changed thanks to the determination and co-ordinated efforts of Give an Ear Foundation, The Ear Community Organization, Oticon Medical, the SAAA, and the audiologists at Lowveld Hearing Centre.”  Lebo’s family last updated everyone letting us know that Lebo is enjoying wearing her new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus hearing devices so much that she does not want to take her sound processors off.  Lebo will soon need to start with speech therapy for aural rehabilitation to help her learn to communicate effectively and to make the most of her new found hearing abilities.

A very special thank you to Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing for Oticon Medical US, for choosing to donate the new Oticon Medical Ponto Plus hearing devices w/streamer to Ear Community so that they could be donated to little Lebo to help her hear better from here on out. Thank you for everyone’s support and for helping Ear Community continue with its mission of helping individuals with Microtia and Atresia. 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.”

Thank you again to everyone who was involved in helping change little Lebo’s life this week!  The Ear Community Organization is also excited for Lebo and her family to attend Ear Community’s Microtia and Atresia family picnic that will take place this Sunday in Johannesburg.  The Ear Community Microtia and Atresia picnic will be the very first of its kind to bring families and medical professionals together in South Africa in support of loved ones with Microtia and Atresia.  “This week has been an amazing week,” says Melissa Tumblin, Founder of Ear Community.  “Not only did the Ear Community Organization have the opportunity to help Lebo hear better thanks to the friendships and partnerships our organization has in South Africa, but I am also very excited for Lebo’s family to attend our Ear Community Microtia and Atresia picnic this Sunday so that Lebo can meet many other children who are just like her.    I look forward to hearing all about our Ear Community picnic this weekend!”
– Melissa Tumblin

Here’s to not missing a beat Lebo….everyone is so happy for you to be hearing so much better now!  You deserve to hear sweet girl.  Here is also a video link of Lebo’s mother crying tears of joy when Lebo repeated her name back to her:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAf0dQx_atU&feature=youtu.be

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