Myrna Kain sat listening to the tap of raindrops on the roof of her car two years ago. She was amazed to hear that sound. The Everett resident later heard another sound for the first time: the sizzle of food cooking.
"I never did hear that before," Kain said.
Kain, 54, is one of about 38 million Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing. Until two years ago she wore hearing aids, which didn’t help her with subtle sounds.
She first heard the raindrops and the food cooking two years ago, thanks to one cochlear implant, an electronic device designed to help deaf people who get little or no help from the use of hearing aids.
Kain’s kindergarten teacher realized that the young Myra wasn’t picking up what was being said, but she wasn’t fitted with a hearing aid until she was 7.
The hearing aid in one ear helped Kain hear birds sing for the first time.
"It was amazing," Kain said.
Kain’s hearing loss progressed until she needed aids in both ears. But it wasn’t until 1992 that she found a support group that helped her realize that she wasn’t alone.
The Everett chapter of Self Help for Hard of Hearing meets once a month for those who are deaf or hard of hearing, and their families.
People who are hard of hearing often feel isolated. They begin sitting by themselves or staying home, or they appear to be stubborn. Families and friends of those people don’t always understand, said Dave Pearson of Marysville.
Pearson, 51, joined SHHH more than a decade ago. He remembers being thrilled to see a listing for the Everett group in a hearing loss magazine. He even served a stint as president of the group.
"I was amazed to see so many people with hearing aids," Pearson said.
Pearson has been hard of hearing all his life. Like Kain, he had his first hearing aid at 6 or 7 years old. It was the box type with wires.
"I hated those," Pearson said. "Especially when I was playing."
By the time Pearson reached his teens, he needed two hearing aids.
"Everybody has different hearing loss," Pearson said.
People of all different ages from all different backgrounds people gather once a month at SHHH meetings. Deaf and hard of hearing people get to meet others in similar situations. They understand what the others are going through.
"The group is very important," Pearson said.
SHHH helps by providing speakers who talk about coping with hearing loss, new technology and the latest in hearing devices. At first Pearson had no devices. Now he has a blinking light in his house that tells him that someone is at the front door. He uses closed captioning for television and captioning for telephone conversations.
Members of SHHHH also share the latest news from the group Hearing Aid Insurance Legislation on bills being passed to help those with hearing issues.
For instance, many insurance companies don’t pay for hearing aids, although Pearson’s does. The cost for his analog hearing aids is $1,900. His insurance company covers $500 every three years. He has a $100 deductible.
The group recently went to Olympia to talk about hearing aid insurance.
When a new person comes to the group, members understand their feelings of frustration.
"A lot don’t even know what closed captioning on TV is," Kain said.
Kain’s self-assurance came in part when she got involved with the group. She sees other hard of hearing people being helped by the support too.
"Their self confidence is built up a little bit," Kain said.
Kain, now the president of the Everett Chapter, remembers when she first found the group and how relieved she was to find other people who faced the same problems: the difficulties communicating with people every day, making sure people could see a button or card saying that she could lip read.
There are many types of hearing loss. Some people lose their hearing overnight, some have hereditary hearing loss and some have hearing difficulty because of noise pollution.
One of the things Kain used to do so people didn’t see her hearing aids was arrange her hair to cover them. Now she doesn’t care.
Since her cochlear implant, Kain wears only one hearing aid.
"Hearing aids are great," Kain said. "Nobody should be without them if they need them."
Reporter Christina Harper: 425-339-3491 or harper@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
