Help Erin Hear All the Sounds

My name is Erin, and I can't hear you very well. I was born with bilateral microtia and atresia, a physical deformity of the outer ear, and a gross underdevelopment of the inner ear. I had reconstructive surgery as a child and was fortunate enough to have enough inner ear development on my right side to undergo an operation to open up my ear canal and provide me with some hearing. I hear about 45% of what people unaffected by hearing loss can hear, and only from my right side.  If someone is on my left and speaking, unless I can see them and see that they are talking to me, I actually have no idea they are even there. 

I started nursing school this year, at 41, to fulfill a lifelong interest in medicine that I had pushed aside due to both not believing in myself enough and also wanting to dedicate what time and energy I had outside of working full time to raising and enjoying my daughter. She is now 19 and I couldn't be prouder of the amazing young woman she has become. 

As I have immersed myself in classes and dedicated some of my free time to volunteering in the ER of the local trauma center, I have found that my hearing deficiency is now more of a problem than it ever was before. In class, I sit up front so I can hear the professor, but when students are called on, unless they are sitting next to me, I can rarely hear the answers they give, so at times I miss out on important information. At the hospital, I have to ask nurses and doctors to repeat themselves quite often, which, in an emergent environment wastes time and causes frustration, not to mention the possiblity for error.  As I proceed with nursing school, I will be doing clinical rotations at many different medical centers, and while I listen intently, when I have to ask people to repeat themselves, they often think I wasn't listening, and I do not want anyone to think that I do not take my job seriously. This is my dream, I finally believe in myself, and this is the time. This is really serious business for me.

I recently met with a head and neck surgeon at Kaiser and learned that I am an ideal candidate for a BAHA implant, which is a bone-anchored hearing device. I met with an audiologist, and at the appointment I was given a headband-style version of the same device to wear during the appointment to be able to experience what life would be like to have a BAHA device. The audiologist stood on my left side and spoke normally and I could hear him. He moved about twenty feet away and spoke normally and I could hear him. I opened my purse to get a pen and the zipper made noise. The receipts in my purse rustled while I was looking for the pen. I had never heard these sounds before- I didn't realize the world was so full of sounds! I left that appointment feeling like this is something that will drastically change my life for the better. I imagined never having to make someone feel like I was ignoring them because I just didnt hear them. I imagined helping my patients without having to ask them to repeat themselves when they already do not feel well. I imagined giving the best, most efficient care possible, without my hearing deficiency getting in the way. I imagined not wondering what everyone was laughing about all the time.

So why Go Fund Me?
This procedure and hearing device together will cost me my maximum out of pocket expenses for the year with the Kaiser plan that I have. As a full time student and single parent, paying my out of pocket maximum by myself is just not possible. Asking for help is not easy for me, but if I don't, this simply can't happen.

How can you help?
Please share this campaign on social media far and wide, and please donate whatever you can. 

Im an incredibly grateful to all of you for reading my story and supporting my cause. I look forward to hearing all the sounds!