NEWS RELEASE
HEAR WELL BE WELL
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Being unable to hear even simple things like water burbling over rocks can change perspectives of the world and life.
For Cindy Weber of Tiny, that simple sound of water dancing over the rocks was just one of the things she’s never experienced.
“I had meningitis when I was a kid,” Weber explained. “I went into hospital when I was six (and) was still in hospital on my seventh birthday. My hearing was affected, and I taught myself to read lips. Having hearing aids — this is going to be a whole new life for me.”
Weber was nominated for the Hear Well Be Well Gift of Hearing program by her daughter, Erika, of Victoria Harbour. Her daughter explained as children they always had to talk loudly, and her mother was always agreeing to things, sometimes things that agreeing wasn’t the right way to go.
“My mother was always agreeing with things because that was easiest,” Erika Weber explained. “Then she agreed to a DNR (do not resuscitate) at the hospital. That wasn’t something to agree to in this case and it was scary.”
Hear Well Be Well’s Gift of Hearing program delivers hearing aids and services at no charge to people in Ontario through a nominations process. An impartial selection committee reads every nomination and chooses finalists who cannot access hearing support.
“COVID made things even more difficult,” Weber stated. “People wearing masks made it impossible to read lips. Sometimes people would get so mad and walk away because I had to ask them to repeat themselves so many times.
“I would stay home so I wouldn’t embarrass my husband or my kids.”
Weber has also stayed away from babysitting her one-and-a-half-year-old grandson because she was afraid her hearing loss would hinder her ability to care for him.
“The best thing is going to be hearing my grandson,” Weber smiled. “This is going to be a whole new life for me.”
The Gift of Hearing program at Hear Well Be Well started in 2014. Since that time, hundreds of Ontario residents have received the gift of hearing — hearing aids and service at no charge.
“It’s not a contest or a random draw,” explained Kathleen Tiede, co-CEO of Hear Well Be Well. “The selection committee looks for those who have the most need based on the information in the nomination.
“With the support of manufacturer Signia, we were happy to be able to do a second round of Gift of Hearing in 2022,” she added. “We’re able to gift hearing aids and all services and support to recipients in Ontario thanks to the support of this great manufacturer. With what so many people went through with COVID, 2022 was the right year to do more than one round of nominations.”
Weber was emotional when she thanked the staff at Midland’s location of Hear Well Be Well.
“I don’t know where I’d be without Hari and Michelle,” she explained. “I’m just an ordinary person; I don’t believe this. I’m so thankful to have friends like this. People need to know what it’s like here at Hear Well Be Well — there’s nowhere else like it.”
Untreated hearing loss has been associated with isolation, a high risk of developing dementia, depression and an increase in falls. Hearing loss can occur from several things, not just age. It can be caused by medications, illness, loud noise damage and more.
Hearing tests at Hear Well Be Well are free.
As Weber was getting ready to leave their appointment at Hear Well Be Well, she said, “This is the first I’ll be able to hear the water. I live near the water. I’d stand and watch it but I couldn’t hear it.”
Her daughter was surprised and planned a stop at the water on the drive home.
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