Starkey Hearing Technologies and Hopco Hearing Centers announced their part in one boy’s hearing journey, sharing his story to help create awareness about hearing loss among children.
Vincent holding his new Livio AI hearing aids.
Last year, Kristy Ellis, mother of 10-year-old Vincent, noticed her son was having a difficult time hearing. He’d had ear infections as an infant, but otherwise there was little reason to believe hearing loss was an issue. Trusting her motherly instinct, she took Vincent in for a hearing test, which showed that he would, in fact, benefit from hearing aids.
Since then, her family has been trying to save money to pay for the hearing aids. In her quest to expedite the process, Kristy recently started a GoFundMe campaign and sent out a message on social media. The tweet caught the eye of Starkey Hearing Technologies President Brandon Sawalich,who responded on Twitter by offering to provide hearing aids as a gift on behalf of the company. This week, Hopco Hearing Centers partnered with Starkey to fit Vincent with Livio AI hearing aids and oversee his hearing health care.
“We are so honored to have the opportunity to provide the gift of hearing to Kristy and Vincent,” said Sheri Hopkins, audiologist and owner of Hopco Hearing Centers. “We also hope their story encourages parents to watch for signs that their children may be struggling to hear. Hearing loss can affect the old and the young. If you suspect a problem, trust your gut and schedule a hearing test with a licensed audiologist as soon as possible.”
“I am beyond grateful to Starkey and Hopco Hearing Centers for this incredible gift,” said Kristy. “Not only has hearing loss impacted Vincent, it has had an impact on our entire family. These hearing aids have improved our lives in profound and significant ways.”
“This is why we do what we do,” said Sawalich. “At Starkey, we want to help people whenever we can. Our company is driven by opportunities like this one, and we thank Kristy and Vincent for letting us be a part of his hearing journey.”
Source: Starkey Hearing Technologies
Images: Starkey Hearing Technologies
