Hi, my name is Grace Schultz, and I'm a 19-year-old college student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. At the beginning of August this year, I suddenly lost hearing in my right ear.

Through endless doctor appointments, it has been confirmed that this loss is permanent. As a Sophomore in college, I now have thousands of dollars in medical debt from treatments that have not at all worked to improve my hearing loss. I am now reaching a close to this journey by getting fitted for hearing aids, but as we all know - this is not a cheap nor easy process.

I didn't realize what I had until it was gone. This loss has left me unmotivated and exhausted. I would do anything to return in time and prepare myself for something like this. If you know me, I love to talk, and more importantly, I love to listen. This has completely flipped my world upside down. My word recognition is very low, so if I am in an environment with the tiniest bit of background noise, I will not be able to hear others speaking to me.

Hearing aids are something I have been researching for the past couple of months, and I believe that this step in my journey will help me achieve many things I haven't been able to these past four months. I will be able to hear at school and work and hopefully feel more confident within myself again.

These funds will be used for me to start the hearing aid process and fitting. My insurance covers a little bit of these hearing aids because of my young age, but not nearly enough.

Thank you to everyone who has shown me patience and kindness through this chaotic time. I appreciate you.

Grace