07 Mar From Our Hearts
One of my favorite memories is about a wonderful client, Jim, who came to see us in the Bedford office many years ago. He dropped in for a chat about his hearing and I got to spend some time talking with him about some hearing difficulties he was having. He wanted information and left with a good deal of reading material. A few days later he dropped by to “just look” at hearing aids as he thought maybe he might need them. I showed him the samples we had and talked about the features of the different models and he agreed that it was time to have a hearing test. Baby steps all the way with Jim! But that was ok, each client has their own pace, and I was happy to go along with that. The audiologist tested him and indeed he had a significant loss that was treatable with hearing aids. Jim was fit with 2 aids and encouraged to try them out for a few weeks and see if he could hear better.
The very next day I arrived at work to see Jim waiting by the door. He couldn’t wait to tell us what the past day had been like. He could hear “everything” and was so pleased. As time went on, I got to know Jim a bit better and he told me how he had been struggling to hear his grandson, was not as involved with his church anymore and his family felt that he was spending more time alone and at home. All this changed when he started wearing hearing aids. Being in this business, we often hear similar stories from clients and their families and being able to help is a true blessing. It’s what keeps me, and really all our staff, going every day. A simple pair of hearing aids can change a person’s life, and that was just how Jim felt.
Fast forward a few more months and my daughter and I attended one of the Bedford Players plays, we walked in and there was Jim! He jumped up and greeted us, escorted us to good seats and spent the evening with us, talking about how his life was different, he was taking part in his church activities again, taking his grandson out for brunch at his favorite Cora’s restaurant, going to his hockey games and “not staying home anymore” as he put it. Admittedly I felt like a star that night, it was very emotional and he was so kind to me and my daughter, that I was reminded yet again what a privilege it is to be in the business of helping people reconnect and hear again.
Jim has since passed away but his memory is as fresh for me as it ever was. Living in Bedford myself, I am reminded of him every time a drive by the church or I smile when walking into Cora’s, remembering Jim and how the last few years of his life were spent, knowing that a simple pair of hearing aids had made all the difference for him and his family.
-Christina
For more on Christina check out her bio on our About page
