Give The Gift Of Hearing

Sophia was born with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss - in other words - she was born with a mild to moderate hearing loss in both ears. She was fitted with hearing aids at just 3 months old. Now, an almost 7 year old and a first grader, the hearing aids aren't enough on their own. In school Sophia uses a technology called an FM System - her classroom teacher and all specialists wear a microphone around their neck and Sophia's hearing aids have special receivers attached to them. The FM System essentially works like a Bluetooth headset so that whoever is talking their voice is amplified, but only to Sophia. Johnny and I had the privilege of using the school's FM System while chaperoning a field trip at the end of her Kindergarten year. To say this technology is a life changer is a gross understatement! Sophia was several feet away yet I was able to quietly tell her to raise her right hand and she was able to do so even though we were in a noisy place. Without the use of the FM System Sophia would not have heard me even with her hearing aids in. After using the FM System for only a few hours Johnny and I realized how paramount this device is for personal use not just in school. We did some research and discussed with Soph's audiologist and we came across the Roger Select Remote Microphone. This device is everything we've wanted and then some! Sophia is an active 7 year old just like every other 7 year old, yet even with the use of her hearing aids she still has a difficult time hearing us when out in public and even at home. Sophia loves Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and even competed in her first competition! Unfortunately, she was unable to hear her father instruct her from the sidelines because it was just too noisy. Even going out to dinner or playing at a playground makes it difficult for Sophia to hear us. The Roger Select Remote Microphone behaves similarly to the FM System she has in school, but it has additional features. It can be used to listen to music or watch movies on her tablet. We can even put it next to our tv so we don't have to have the volume up really loud. The Roger Select will take the sound from whatever device Soph is using and play it directly through her hearing aids! Here is a 5 minute video that explains the device, its benefits, and how it works. Everything sounds great, right? Unfortunately, Soph's health insurance does not cover this device. They cover her hearing aids, but the Roger Select Remote Microphone is considered an accessory which her insurance does not cover. The good news is that the maker of this device is running a special on the microphone and the receivers so if we buy during this special we can save over $1,000! This year we are asking our family, friends, neighbors, community anyone who is willing to help to give the gift of hearing to Sophia. Sophia's birthday is October 29th and Christmas is right around the corner; instead of gifts this year we kindly ask that whatever money you would have spent on toys, clothes, etc to please consider making a donation so that Sophia can get the Roger Select Remote Microphone. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this we appreciate all of your support. If you are unable to donate, please help us out by sharing the link! Should you have any questions please reach out to me. Thank you all so very much! ~Tara, Johnny, and Sophia~