Helping Malosi hear his best thanks to Ear Community and Oticon Medical

Malosi hearing sound better for the first time with a donated Oticon Medical Ponto 3 SuperPower sound processor on May 19th, 2017.

Ear Community is excited to share this sweet story about a little boy named Malosi Sualua who was born with Left Microtia and Atresia.  Malosi is 4 and lives in Laguna Beach, CA with his two older sisters and parents, Heidi and Leie.  Malosi means “strength” in Samoan and his mother, Heidi, says that the name really suits him.  “He is tough, he is sweet, and he is smart.”  When Malosi was born, his parents were given conflicting information about what the next steps would be.  They were told things like “he only needs one good ear” and “you must get a BAHA on him or he will lose speech and development”.  During the early days when Malosi was just an infant, Heidi and Leie couldn’t just enjoy their precious little boy, they had to face their new reality and try to go from there.

In February, this year, Heidi reached out to Ear Community.  She needed someone to talk to who understood what she was going through with her adorable little boy.  After exchanging e-mails and a phone call, we knew that Ear Community needed to help.  Through the https://www.oticonmedical.usincredible connections with Oticon Medical, Ear Community was able to secure a Ponto 3 Super Power on a soft band head band for Malosi.  On May 19^th, 2017, Malosi went to his audiologist, Dr. Maria Abramson at the Hear Now Abramson Audiology in Laguna Beach and received a brand new Oticon Ponto 3 Super Power device and soft band.  When Malosi first had his Ponto on, Dr. Abramson whispered, “Malosi, I love you” into his left side.  He whipped his head around and said, “What’s that?!” Malosi and his family were also able to be introduced to the Oticon Medical Rep, Megan Everson, who gave him his very own Oticon Monkey (complete with a Ponto on, just like Malosi) and played with Malosi while Dr. Abramson went over the details with his mom, Heidi.  Each day he is wearing it longer and longer, and discovering more sounds as he goes.  Heidi said that he likes to put his hand over the Ponto and say, “it’s working!” – he is clearly excited to experience ‘surround sound’ finally.

Ear Community would like to thank Jared Schnackenberg, President of Oticon Medical US, and Alan Raffauf, Vice President of Marketing for Oticon Medical US, for giving our organization the opportunity to help Malosi hear better.  A very special thank you to Beverly Ostrowski of Oticon Medical for helping work with us to improve lives with better hearing.  We would also like to extend a warm thank you to Malosi’s Audiologist, Maria Abramson, AuD at Hear Now Abramson Audiology in Laguna Beach for working with Ear Community to help Malosi.  Thank you to Ear Community’s donors and to the friends and relatives to the late Curt Gorman (past President of Oticon Medical US) who have also helped make it possible for hearing device recipients, like little Malosi, receive the gift of hearing.

As Malosi continues to grow and go to school, his Ponto 3 Super Power is going to give him equal access to the sound he needs to succeed throughout his education and life.  Ear Community has been honored to work with the Sualua family and be able to help Malosi hear better.  Heidi said that she couldn’t tell us what a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders.  That the entire experience, from the first phone call to receiving Malosi’s Ponto 3 Super Power has just filled her heart with so much gratitude.  We are so happy for Malosi and his entire family, and can’t wait to see how he grows.  Good luck, Malosi, may all your dreams come true and may you enjoy all the beautiful sounds this world has to offer!