Harry first experienced hearing loss in middle school, but he compensated for it by lip-reading. At the time, Harry believed he had ADHD rather than hearing loss. It wasn’t until after high school when Harry moved away from his family that he realized he truly was having a problem understanding speech. It was then that he decided to take action against his hearing loss.  

“I suspected that I had hearing loss because I couldn’t understand (speech) if the person’s mouth was covered. I really wanted to find the problem and a solution for it.”  

Before Harry received his hearing aids he felt socially isolated. Not being able to hear well hindered his ability to understand people which made him keep to himself instead of making friends. Harry felt broken psychologically because he didn’t realize that his problem was physical in nature. 

After his initial diagnosis of hearing loss Harry became depressed. However, once he received a pair of hearing aids it was easier for him to understand his professors and he could have better conversations with people. Hearing aids have amplified the sounds in Harry’s life helping him to finally hear and be able to understand speech.  

“Before I got hearing aids, I could not hear birds singing. The first time I went outside with my hearing aids, I was able to take in the auditory sensation of birds singing. I really felt grateful and thankful to be living in a time where this is possible.”  

Hearing aids have made it easier for Harry to stay on task in meetings and to engage in conversations with people without misunderstanding. Harry feels like he can finally have normal conversations with friends and family because he doesn’t have to ask others to repeat themselves.  

Harry is a HearStrong Champion because he wants to be able to connect with people who have hearing loss and help them become the best version of themselves. Although hearing loss still impacts Harry’s life, he is excited to receive new hearing aids with more advanced technology that will improve his hearing even more. Hearing loss has made Harry empathetic, and he uses that to help other people with hearing loss feel accepted and to find treatment.  

“Effective communication is essential today in any field and personal relationships. That is very difficult without hearing aids. With quality hearing aids, you have more energy to pursue your goals in any aspect of your life because you don’t deplete all of your energy in trying to hear and understand people.”