Hi! My name’s Elaine, and I’m raising funds for new hearing aids. I’ve had high-frequency hearing loss my whole life that makes it hard to hear certain sounds and affects how clearly I can hear speech. It’s especially tough working as a teacher and not always being able to hear what my students are saying.

My current hearing aids are over 10 years old and very out-of-date. They amplify all sounds in addition to the speech sounds that I can’t hear. I can’t wear them regularly outside of work because I feel overwhelmed by hearing every little sound, like an air vent, or the cars going by on the street, constantly amplified. Even when I am wearing my current hearing aids, I feel anxious about regularly having to ask people to repeat themselves and I worry that I’m missing something important in conversations. I feel especially frustrated and worried at school when I have to ask my students, who are English language learners, to repeat themselves several times. I have seen firsthand that this lowers their confidence level even when their pronunciation is correct.

Unfortunately, health insurance doesn’t cover any portion of the cost of hearing aids, so I have to pay out of pocket. A new pair that is appropriate for my hearing loss cost around $6000, which is more than I can afford on a teacher’s salary, despite the big difference they’d make at work and in the quality of my day-to-day life.

The new hearing aids I'd like to purchase (Starkey Livio Edge AI) have a wide range of helpful features. The hearing aids can automatically switch between profiles and amplification settings based on my location. I can use an app to control and adjust what the hearing aids are amplifying, and this app also uses Bluetooth capability to stream audio directly to the hearing aid from a cell phone, computer, or TV. Unlike my current pair, the Starkey hearing aids can amplify specific sounds without also turning up the volume on background noise.

Your contribution will help me be better able to serve my students and improve the quality of my life. New hearing aids will make it easier for me to follow along in conversations and communicate with others every day. I will also feel less anxiety related to not hearing other people and I won't have to ask people to repeat themselves constantly.

Thank you for your time and support!