Cochlear Upgrade Hearing Device

Hello, My name is Henry Hall, 
I was born with a hearing deficiency that was diagnosed at the age of 5. There were many visits to various Ear Doctors/Specialists from this age forward that determined that I had a Profound hearing loss in my left ear and an acute earing loss in my right ear. I was taught to read lips at a early age and struggled through my adolescent years with school, having to be moved to the front of the classes just to understand what the teachers were saying.  At the age of 12, after enjoying a weekend outing with some friends at a local capground, I developed an even greater loss of hearing, 20% of the hearing in my right ear to be exact, my left ear sustained approximately 10% loss. At this point, a Hearing Aid for my right ear was an option. they indicated my left ear had too great of loss to benefit from a hearing aid. I continued to press on, even though at this point i was determined to be legally deaf and i recieved benefits from SSI and Medicare. At the age of 18, i was determined i had the ability to work, not set around and recieve SSI and Medicare assistance. In August of 1998, at the age of 33, I lost complete hearing in my right ear and only had approximately 10% hearing left in my left ear. I was diagnosed with 2 hearing diseases, Centrual Neural Hearing loss - loss of hearing due to natural causes as infections or exposure to lound sounds, as well as Autoimmune Disease - my body's immune system fighting against my hearing. I was devestated, I thought this was the end of my career as well as the last time i would enjoy the sounds of my children playing, enjoying life in general. I was informed of the possibility of an implant, so jumped at it, knowing I had nothing to lose. It was determined that i was a good candidate and in January of 2000, I had surgery for the implant, in February, after connecting the processor and after some adjustments of the various tones, was able to hear the sounds of birds chirping, a sound I hadn't heard for a number of years. I have been able to continue working and enjoying life because of a man made device. In addition, I have spoken with a number of individuals who either needed some guidiance or support for themselves or a loved one who had a severe hearing loss. I would like to continue being able to hear the sounds of life (especially my grandchildren) and have the option to continue working. I am asking for your support in raising the funds I need to cover the cost of an upgrade. The device I currently have is a loaner from the UC Medical Center in Cincinnati Ohio. Mine has been broken since mi-May. Total cost of the device is $9,275.00, I have set a goal of $7500.00 so that I can get the device ordered and be able to move forward in this endeavor.


Thank you,
Henry Hall