NEW HEARING AIDS FOR ABDUL
Donation protected
Allow me to introduce you to my good friend, Abdul!
Abdul is a gentle soul I met serendipitously while backpacking through India in 2013. We stayed at the same guesthouse and became fast friends while sharing travel stories and exploring the wonders of India! I was immediately impressed with his wealth of life experience, his in-depth knowledge of various places and cultures. I was also fascinated by his knack for tracking down economical yet reliable options for transport to the most incredible destinations! Once I began getting to know Abdul's selflessly kind heart, it became clear how he was able to make so many lasting friendships around the world! We continued backpacking together for about a month, traversing Northern India to remote places on a shoestring budget, camping in temples with monks, learning, and enjoying ancient traditions of Indian and Tibetan culture! What a great and enriching time that was!
Even now, I remember Abdul's dependence on hearing aids, which were already getting old back in 2013! I witnessed him meticulously care for them throughout the month we spent together - cleaning them every day and being ever so dutiful to their safety. I observed how much of a difference they made in his capacity to function normally, and how difficult it was for him to communicate when he wasn't wearing them!
Abdul has been wearing hearing aids since childhood. His first pair was purchased at age 9 after a series of tests concluded he had been losing his hearing since he was a toddler. His hearing loss grew with him, becoming increasingly severe. The hearing aids he had been using until just recently were purchased in 2008. After 12 years of using and caring for his hearing aids, they have finally expired. His right ear hearing aid stopped working in the last quarter of 2019. Around March of this year (2020), his left ear hearing aid was lost during the frenzy of the COVID-19 lockdown in Kuala Lumpur. Now, he has been without hearing aids for two months. During this stay-at-home period, he has noticed his hearing condition deteriorate further.
Abdul's hearing aids are so old that any replacement parts that may have been used to fix them in the past are no longer available. The average lifespan of hearing aids is between 3-7 years. Because of his disciplined care, he managed to keep them working for TWELVE years - which is incredible!
Abdul was always well aware of their value, both in terms of their impact in his life and their monetary cost, so he wisely made them last as long as possible. These devices made a world of difference in his ability to communicate with colleagues and clients, particularly during work meetings and presentations. They also made an impact in his daily safety and security, for example allowing him to safely ride a motorcycle in traffic.
Recently Abdul met an audiologist and checked the state of his hearing. Based on the test results, the audiologist concluded that his current hearing condition is classified as "severe to profound hearing loss" in both ears. She urged him to start wearing hearing aids again as soon as possible. Otherwise, his hearing will continue to deteriorate.
Now, a new pair of hearing aids will cost him USD 6300 (CAD 8675). Hearing aids are NOT covered by insurance. He will need to pay for them entirely from his own pocket.
The amazingly positive experience he had during the hearing aids trial session has shown him he can hear again. This has injected him with a newfound motivation to seek help through crowdfunding to afford new hearing aids as soon as possible!
Abdul has some emergency savings, and it is my hope to help him raise the remaining amount he needs. Abdul asked if I could help run this fundraiser for him from my home country of Canada, as GoFundMe does not yet have support for Malaysia. I am sending all funds raised to his bank account in Malaysia through Transferwise.
New hearing aids will make all the difference in allowing Abdul to continue being a contributing member of society and will provide him with a massive increase in his quality of life.
Thank you for supporting!!!
Abdul has created an infographic of his latest audiogram for all to see, which describes his progressive hearing loss in visual detail. See below!
Abdul is a gentle soul I met serendipitously while backpacking through India in 2013. We stayed at the same guesthouse and became fast friends while sharing travel stories and exploring the wonders of India! I was immediately impressed with his wealth of life experience, his in-depth knowledge of various places and cultures. I was also fascinated by his knack for tracking down economical yet reliable options for transport to the most incredible destinations! Once I began getting to know Abdul's selflessly kind heart, it became clear how he was able to make so many lasting friendships around the world! We continued backpacking together for about a month, traversing Northern India to remote places on a shoestring budget, camping in temples with monks, learning, and enjoying ancient traditions of Indian and Tibetan culture! What a great and enriching time that was!
Even now, I remember Abdul's dependence on hearing aids, which were already getting old back in 2013! I witnessed him meticulously care for them throughout the month we spent together - cleaning them every day and being ever so dutiful to their safety. I observed how much of a difference they made in his capacity to function normally, and how difficult it was for him to communicate when he wasn't wearing them!
Abdul has been wearing hearing aids since childhood. His first pair was purchased at age 9 after a series of tests concluded he had been losing his hearing since he was a toddler. His hearing loss grew with him, becoming increasingly severe. The hearing aids he had been using until just recently were purchased in 2008. After 12 years of using and caring for his hearing aids, they have finally expired. His right ear hearing aid stopped working in the last quarter of 2019. Around March of this year (2020), his left ear hearing aid was lost during the frenzy of the COVID-19 lockdown in Kuala Lumpur. Now, he has been without hearing aids for two months. During this stay-at-home period, he has noticed his hearing condition deteriorate further.
Abdul's hearing aids are so old that any replacement parts that may have been used to fix them in the past are no longer available. The average lifespan of hearing aids is between 3-7 years. Because of his disciplined care, he managed to keep them working for TWELVE years - which is incredible!
Abdul was always well aware of their value, both in terms of their impact in his life and their monetary cost, so he wisely made them last as long as possible. These devices made a world of difference in his ability to communicate with colleagues and clients, particularly during work meetings and presentations. They also made an impact in his daily safety and security, for example allowing him to safely ride a motorcycle in traffic.
Recently Abdul met an audiologist and checked the state of his hearing. Based on the test results, the audiologist concluded that his current hearing condition is classified as "severe to profound hearing loss" in both ears. She urged him to start wearing hearing aids again as soon as possible. Otherwise, his hearing will continue to deteriorate.
Now, a new pair of hearing aids will cost him USD 6300 (CAD 8675). Hearing aids are NOT covered by insurance. He will need to pay for them entirely from his own pocket.
The amazingly positive experience he had during the hearing aids trial session has shown him he can hear again. This has injected him with a newfound motivation to seek help through crowdfunding to afford new hearing aids as soon as possible!
Abdul has some emergency savings, and it is my hope to help him raise the remaining amount he needs. Abdul asked if I could help run this fundraiser for him from my home country of Canada, as GoFundMe does not yet have support for Malaysia. I am sending all funds raised to his bank account in Malaysia through Transferwise.
New hearing aids will make all the difference in allowing Abdul to continue being a contributing member of society and will provide him with a massive increase in his quality of life.
Thank you for supporting!!!
Abdul has created an infographic of his latest audiogram for all to see, which describes his progressive hearing loss in visual detail. See below!
Organizer
Paul Gubernachuk
Organizer
Winnipeg, MB