Spanish Mom Embraces Hearing Aid

Editor: With so much talk about the stigma of hearing aids, it's nice to see an article about someone who has overcome that to wear hearing aids proudly. Here's a story from the folks at hear-it.org

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November 2008

In spite of the doctors' opinion that hearing aids were not suitable for her, Carmen Garcia did not give up and decided to give them a try. Thanks to her hearing aids and lip reading she has been able to face the challenges she finds in a hearing world.

Carmen Garcia, a 47 year-old Spanish working woman and mother of five, suffers from profound hearing loss in both ears and tinnitus.

At the age of two, she was treated with an ototoxic medicine when suffering from a virus. The medicine caused her hearing loss. Unfortunately, the diagnosis and treatment came many years later.

"As a child, I managed the best I could. At school, teachers said I was absent-minded and day-dreaming. I was not able to hear what was said in class, but I studied hard and learned the text-books by heart in order to pass the exams. At that time, we lived in the Cantabria province, and I still don't know how I managed to earn my four-year diploma with honours in singing scale followed by one year of music theory for piano," said Carmen.

Carmen and her family moved to Madrid in her adolescence. She joined the Music Conservatory. However, she quickly realized she couldn't continue.

"I confessed to my parents that I could not hear like everyone else," she said.

Don't give up

Carmen was finally diagnosed with irreversible hearing loss in both ears when she was 17 years old.

"It was devastating for me and my parents to realize I could never recover my hearing. My life changed drastically," she explained.

Carmen saw several doctors who agreed that hearing aids were not suitable for her type of hearing loss. But she refused to accept that no treatment was available for her. When she was 19, she decided to give hearing aids a try.

"Don't give up, that is my advice. Even when the doctor says there is no solution, you should look for an alternative to improve your quality of life," said Carmen.

"It took time to get used to my hearing aids and wear them daily, but I finally managed, and it was worth it."

Hearing aid is essential

Carmen used to wear two hearing aids. Today she uses only one hearing aid in her right ear. It is essential for her.

"I feel safer with it. My hearing aid allows me to identify the sound direction, so I can focus on the person talking," explained Carmen.

"I always wear it. In fact, I am not fond of places where I cannot use it, like the beach. With my hearing aid I feel safer and more self-confident."

Facing challenges

After being fitted with two hearing aids, she managed to earn her degree in Pharmaceutical Science in 1988.

"At the university I used my hearing aids daily. But I was not able to talk openly about my hearing loss," she said.

"I no longer hide it. Whenever necessary I talk about it."

In Spain it is difficult for hearing impaired people to find good jobs.

"Things have changed a little, but not enough", she pointed out.

She worked in different companies as a pharmacist assistant and as a health technician, but those jobs did not last. She is planning to take an examination to qualify for a public position as senior health care technician.

In fashion

Carmen urges others to get beyond the common prejudices preventing many people from using hearing aids.

"I see hearing aids as a means to adapt to one's environment. My mother, for instance, suffers from age related hearing loss, and she did not hesitate to use hearing aids. She wants to enjoy life fully," she said.