| COVER STORY
by Lyle Hurd, editor of totalhealth
Cynthia Lunceford’s
inspiring story may cause
you to reconsider
your quality of life
IIf you find yourself turning the TV up more often lately, or you
frequently think others are mumbling, it may be time to get
your hearing checked by a reputable audiologist. Maybe you
know you have a hearing loss but a poor history with hearing
aids, vanity or money are keeping you from doing something
about it. If you see yourself in either scenario, read on! This
story could change your life.
Meet Cynthia Lunceford
America was introduced to Cynthia Lunceford on TV’s
“Extreme Makeover.” Lunceford, who has a severe hearing
loss, had tried hearing aids since she was 15, and did not think
there was a technology that could help her. Believing LASIK surgery
was the only solution to help with her lip reading, she sought help
from ABC’s “Extreme Makeover.” What happened next wasn’t just
a makeover. It was, says Lunceford, closer to a miracle.
A leading audiologist determined that the Power Diva™—which was just about to become available to consumers—combined the power that Cynthia needed with the directional
intelligence to automatically adjust to her world. It would be
the only way a hearing aid could work to meet her complicated
needs. Senso Diva High Definition Hearing* is a breakthrough
in hearing technology that “thinks” for the wearer and has
been recognized for its outstanding and unique features.
Lunceford was the world’s first person to benefit from the
Power Diva technology.
Safety concerns linked to hearing loss
Lunceford describes her life in terms of “before” and “after”
the Power Diva. And her “before” world was far more scary—
especially for this carpooling mother of three. “My biggest concern
was whether or not I would hear cars honking or sirens
while I was driving,” she recalls. “Even if I did hear sirens,
without the directional intelligence of the Power Divas, it was
hard to tell where they were coming from. So I was constantly
scanning the mirrors, looking around. It took a lot of energy!
I had to ‘listen’ with my eyes.”
Simply walking across a parking lot was also exhausting. “I had
to be totally aware of my surroundings, conscious of the fact that I
couldn’t hear someone coming up from behind me,” she said.
“Who is this mother?!”
For Lunceford, one of the most devastating effects of hearing
loss could be found in her relationship with her children. “On
a playground, I couldn’t distinguish my child’s voice from the
other children’s. It was embarrassing to be around other
mothers who didn’t know I had a hearing loss. They would
hear my kids yell ‘Mom!’ and I wouldn’t respond. They’d look
at me, probably thinking ‘Who is this mother?’ And I’d miss so
much. It was frustrating when my kids would yell, ‘Mom, look
at me!’ as they went down the slide, or off the diving board, and
I’d miss it entirely.”
Missing the punch lines
She describes missing out on many other memory making
moments. “I couldn’t enjoy a movie with my children. They’d
whisper a comment, and I’d just smile and nod because I
couldn’t hear what they said. It’s very difficult to read lips on
Disney cartoons. When my children would sing the songs to
“Beauty and the Beast,” for example, I didn’t know the words.
“Before this Diva technology, I’d miss out on the little
things like jokes,” Lunceford explained. “If I didn’t catch the
punch line, it was terrible. It’s never as funny if you have to
repeat it! Now I can put my energy into enjoying the conversation
instead of trying to understand speech.”
Stay away from Mom!
As Lunceford struggled to maintain a relationship with her kids,
the exhaustion showed on her face. “I was being intent and purposeful,
but my facial expressions looked angry and tired. The
kids would stay away from me, believing I was in a bad mood.
That’s not what I want out of life! People think it is so
depressing to wear a hearing aid. I think it would be depressing
not to have one because of all of these situations I faced daily.”
Lunceford explains that friends and family were equally frustrated.
“Sometimes, I would struggle so hard to understand
that it was just easier for them not to include me in a conversation.
So I missed out in that way as well.” She adds that little
things, like distinguishing between the words ‘can’ and ‘can’t’
was difficult. “That one little ‘t’ would make all the difference,
especially on the telephone. That was miserable!”
Relationships improve with better hearing
Lunceford remembers the pain of not being able to enjoy a
normal conversation with her husband in the mornings, and
says that the quality of all of her relationships has improved
dramatically now that she can hear better. “The quality of my
life has been helped by this technology above and beyond what
I ever imagined it could be. It overwhelms me. It humbles me.
And I will always be grateful.
“If people have the opportunity to make their hearing better,
they need to know that it’s worth it! Whatever gain they get,
they are much better off. They will be much more involved in
their world,” she says.
Consider a typical evening watching TV. “Before the Divas,”
says Lunceford, “I couldn’t carry on a conversation while the TV
was on. The sound was all jumbled together. With the Diva
Locator feature, I can turn around and look at my husband and
the TV sound becomes ‘background’ and what he’s saying is in
the ‘foreground’ of my hearing.”
She’s also thrilled by the change in her relationship with her
children. “Now we enjoy riding in the car more because we can
carry on a conversation. I love it, because I’m finding out more
about them. They love it too. We can interact more. I don’t
have to stop to look at them so that I can read their lips, and
they don’t have to make sure I’m facing them before speaking
to me,” Lunceford adds.
Everyone around you may be affected by your hearing loss
Lunceford is emphatic about telling people to seek help for
their hearing loss. “You have a responsibility to yourself to get
the most out of life. You also have a responsibility to everyone
who interacts with you because they are also affected—these
people suffer too. If you can’t hear, communication and your
relationships will always suffer.”
She has heard all of the excuses for not seeking help, and has
a response for each one.
I’ve tried hearing aids before, and they didn’t help me much. “If
you have not tried anything in the last few years, get yourself
back to a reputable audiologist because technology has made
tremendous advances. See if you can try the Senso Divas or—
if you have a more severe loss—Power Divas to determine if
you can also benefit from them as I have.”
I’ve tried hearing aids and they drive me crazy. “You may have
not gotten a good fit, and I have learned that a poorly fit
hearing aid does not work as effectively as it could. There is
now a laser-fit technology available. Think of hearing as a
three-legged stool. You are the first leg. You need to take the
responsibility to seek help. The second is finding a good audiologist.
The third is finding the right hearing aid. Be prepared
because hearing aids can take some time to get used to. It’s
actually like re-training your brain, in a sense, to hear with a
new instrument. As someone who has gone through the
process, I believe it will be a frustrating experience if you don’t
go to a reputable and experienced audiologist. There’s no such
thing as buying off the rack. It’s not like buying magnifying
glasses for your eyes. You have to motivate yourself to start the
process, but it is so worth the effort!”
I don’t like the look of wearing hearing aids. “I’m not going to
say that looks don’t matter. The good news is that many of
today’s advanced digital hearing aids are nearly invisible. But if
you are avoiding hearing aids because of vanity, consider what
people think of you when you respond inappropriately to a
question because you didn’t hear it correctly. I benefit from the
Power Diva technology in behind-the-ear hearing aids. I am
very happy with them. The benefits of hearing better far outweigh
any concerns for how you look!
Hearing aids are only for the elderly, so I’ll feel and look older if
I use one. “That’s just a stereotype. If you look around, you’ll
notice hearing loss is affecting not only elderly adults but also
a lot of people in their 40s and 50s. And there are young adults
and children who also benefit from new hearing aid technology.
The more people who are willing to say I wear a hearing
aid, the more acceptable it will become. It will be a non-issue.”
I’m getting by right now. I’ll wait to see if my hearing gets
worse. “Many people wait too long before trying to deal with
their hearing. This waiting can put an unnecessary burden on
their loved ones and people around them. A side benefit to my
hearing better is that my speech has improved. If you lose your
ability to hear, your speech will begin to suffer. Don’t wait until
it gets really bad.”
Hearing aids cost too much. I’d rather spend money on a vacation.
“If you have a hearing loss and you purchase hearing aids
that will help you hear better, you are investing in yourself and
your family for the rest of your life. The beauty of the Divas is that
they automatically help you in many different environments—and they can be adjusted by an audiologist as your hearing
changes (which happens to most people as they get older).
“If someone offered me the opportunity to go on a fabulous
vacation or an opportunity to hear better for the rest of my life,
it’s a no-brainer. Invest in your life and your relationships.
You’ll reap the benefits far beyond any two-week vacation!”
Lunceford concludes that being the first person in the world
to use the Power Divas has been a thrilling experience: “I feel
so honored. It’s been terrific and I hope that I can help
encourage people to take some time and consider their
hearing. Relationships are what life is all about. Invest in yourself.
It’s so worth it.”
* Power Diva and Senso Diva technologies are proprietary to
the Widex Hearing Aid Company. Call toll-free 1-888-999-3779.
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