Help Thomas Purchase Hearing Aids
Donation protected
Hi there, I’m Thomas! I’m a transgender man, husband, stay at home dad to my infant son, and I am also hard of hearing. I am raising funds to purchase a new pair of hearing aids to allow me to better interact with the world, to help keep me and my family safe, and to improve my overall quality of life.
Many of you coming to this page may know me, but many of you may not know that I was diagnosed with a severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears when I was 14 years old. This loss is a permanent, life long disability, and it impacts my ability to hear and understand sounds and speech without proper amplification.
My hearing loss negatively impacts my life in the following ways:
Many of you coming to this page may know me, but many of you may not know that I was diagnosed with a severe sensorineural hearing loss in both ears when I was 14 years old. This loss is a permanent, life long disability, and it impacts my ability to hear and understand sounds and speech without proper amplification.
My hearing loss negatively impacts my life in the following ways:
- by severely limiting my ability to verbally interact with people, particularly in large group settings or settings with any notable background noise,
- by making it difficult for me to hear without visual cues (such as over the phone or from a different room),
- and by impacting my safety through my inability to hear most safety alarms or timers (such as kitchen appliances, phone notifications, and in some cases fire/smoke alarms if the device is not located nearby).
I have been using the same hearing aids for the last 15+ years, and as with most technology over such an extensive time period, hearing aid technology has evolved immensely. My current hearing aids amplify all sounds and are incapable of removing harmful background noises making their usefulness severely limited, if not even detrimental, to living an active and social lifestyle. As such, I primarily navigate my life today without the use of any amplification device. My audiologist has strongly recommended I upgrade my technology to improve my overall quality of life and for the safety of myself and my family.
The funds I am seeking will be used to cover the cost of purchasing a new pair of hearing aids - valued at ~$6k + taxes & fees. Despite having health insurance, my provider does not offer *any* coverage for hearing aid devices, and all of my expenses will be out of pocket. As I am currently a stay at home dad to our infant son (and hope to continue to be), this is a tremendous financial burden for my family.
Your help and financial support will serve to make an incredible impact on my life and on the life of my family and friends. The ability to upgrade my long outdated hearing aids is a life changing opportunity for me and for how I am able to move through the world. Any financial support you are able to offer is greatly appreciated. Thank you all so much!
Organizer
Thomas Reeve
Organizer
Fremont, CA