“The thing about hearing loss is before you have it, you think about it and associate it with not being able to hear music and stuff like that,” said Stephen, a GiveHear patient.
“But what no one tells you is how it can be very demanding on your personal relationships,” Stephen explained.
For Stephen, this hope to communicate and connect with his family and friends was the driving force behind his search for improved hearing. But he wasn’t sure he could afford it.
With the average cost for a pair of hearing aids coming in at more than $5,000, many people with hearing loss find themselves in Stephen’s situation — especially since most insurance plans don’t cover hearing aids.
“After visiting several audiologists, I said to my wife, I don’t know how the heck I’m going to afford this,” said Stephen.
I don’t know how the heck I’m going to afford this.
During this time, Stephen shared what it felt like to experience untreated hearing loss.
“You pull yourself in because you don’t want to embarrass yourself,” said Stephen. “Even going to the bank on your own can be intimidating. You think about holding up the line, asking the teller to repeat themselves. It can feel humiliating.”
Stephen’s story is not uncommon. Many people begin to withdraw from the world around them when they experience hearing loss, which can lead to additional difficulty and pain like strained relationships, unemployment, and even anxiety and depression.
Thanks to his primary care doctor, Stephen eventually found GiveHear and was able to get fit with a new hearing aid quickly.
“What you all do is amazing,” said Stephen.
You pull yourself in because you don’t want to embarrass yourself."
He expressed that his restored ability to hear has helped him in every aspect of his life — from his part time job to communicating with his wife and family. Later, Stephen was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and continues to battle with it. He has since been able to get “loaner” hearing aids through our cancer services program before purchasing his own set on our sliding fee scale later on.
“Every person’s story is unique and presents challenges,” said Sarah Delaney, an Audiologist at GiveHear, “but at the end of the day we truly are here to help you hear again and reconnect with your loved ones.
