Hello, my name is Danette , which many of you know me as Nettie. Most of you know that I have had many rough battles in my life. The longest battle has been with my hearing. In 1974, I was diagnosed with being profound deaf. Luckily at this time my family was able to put me through excessive speech therapy which allowed me to learn how to read lips,speak, and learn ASL(American Sign Language). I was able to use hearing aids for many years, which let me easily adapt socially to the hearing world.

My world became harder when I was diagnosed with Lupus. These battles have taken a toll on my body and made things difficult for me to participate in. I still have moved along even when my body wants to shut down. My health has deteriorated over the years with many surgeries, doctor visits, and tons of different medications. Unfortunately, over time my hearing aids started to no longer work. Thus, making it difficult to communicate and participate with my adult children. When my first grand baby was on the way , I wanted to search out anything that could bring back my hearing so I could hear those voices.

I searched out to receive a cochlear implant and my insurance approved. I went through the process and went to surgery with the hope of being able to hear afterwards. Unfortunately, when doing the surgery they found a tumor on my pituitary gland. I was no longer eligible for the implant and now had a new journey with this tumor. I had surgery to remove most of the tumor, but it has affected my vision that has made reading lips has become difficult.

Life has become silent. I try to overcome the frustrations of feeling left out and try to involve myself, but it is difficult. I feel like I have to depend on others so much. This has led me to search for every possible avenue to regain some hearing and regain some quality of life. Technology has come a long way and very powerful hearing aids are available. I have paid out of pocket for the molds to be made . These hearing aids are the best in the market, but come at a cost of 7k. After battling with doctors and insurance companies, I have received the news they will cover close to 5k.

I have been on a low fixed income most of my life due to what my health has done to me. I understand these times are hard and I never want to be a burden on anyone. I don’t like that it has come to this, but due to my financial situation, there are not many avenues. I am asking for a little bit of help to allow me to have some of my life back. I will forever be grateful for your thoughtfulness and kindness.

All donations will go towards the co-pay of the hearing aids.If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my caretaker( Phyllis Wilkerson) or myself.

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Thank you