By Duane Wass, BC-HIS
Membership Matters is an open forum for IHS members to share industry-related news and experiences.
Helen Keller wrote, “I am just as deaf as I am blind. The problems
of deafness are deeper and more complex, if not more important, than those
of blindness. Deafness is a much worse misfortune. For it means the loss
of the most vital stimulus—the sound of the voice that brings language,
sets thoughts astir and keeps us in the intellectual company of man.”
Her quote reinforces the dramatic effects of deafness on the speech chain and, therefore, human communication and language. The Hearing Lions traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico in January on a hearing aid mission to fix parts of that broken chain experienced by less fortunate individuals.
My wife, Kathy, and our two teenagers accompanied me and, all together, the group fit 662 hearing instruments on both adults and children.
This was the first time our two youngest children experienced the sight
of a child’s face lighting up when first hearing a spoken word. This “hearing
smile” is a sight to see, and no camera can capture the moment nearly
as well as witnessing it in person. Daniel and Kinzi were able to not only
see children hear and speak for the first time, they also saw the parent’s
or grandparent’s reaction, joy and hope. For some of the recipients,
this is their best chance at hearing speech and learning language.
We assembled a very qualified team. John Pickett, BC-HIS, ACA, is a member of the Speedway Lions Club and on his seventh mission trip with the Hearing Lions. Jin Pak, BC-HIS, owns Baldwin Optical and Hearing in Foley, Alabama, and is a member of the Foley Lions Club. This was Jin’s fourth year with the team. Charlie Robinette, BC-HIS, ACA, owns and operates Beltone Hearing offices in Florence, Kentucky and was also making his fourth trip. Charlie brought his college-age son, Andy, to help interpret. Lindsey Faulconer, a family friend of Charlie’s and Andy’s who knows sign language, made her first venture with the group. Dani Land, BC-HIS, from Seymour, Indiana, co-owns hearing aid dispensing offices in Southern Indiana and was also on her fourth trip with the group. Her husband, Tim, and son, Jack, were on their first mission. On his first trip, Mike McCroskey, BC-HIS, left his practice in Greenville, South Carolina to help out. Two other members of my New Palestine, Indiana Lions Club, Mike Baugh and Betty Whittemore, came along to help. Mike had participated in the 2001 mission to Juchipila, Zacatecas.
The general coordinator of our missions for the past five years, District B4 PDG Aureliano Jauregui Vazquez, was again on hand to make sure things went as planned. His wife, Leanor, and son, Eduardo, also helped and made sure all of us felt welcomed. Aureliano had the help of the host Lions Club, an all-female club in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Irma, Alicia and club president Arcelia were always present and pitching in. Irma’s two sons, Karlos and Jose, provided excellent interpreting assistance. The local Zapopan DIF staff, including Katia, Irene and her daughters, Sophia and Andrea, also helped every day. Of course, the Planning Director of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, Frederic Rondeau, again lent his capable hands in setting up, running, and speaking at the event. Now living in El Salvador and speaking Spanish, after having grown up in the U.S. speaking English and being born in Québec speaking French, Frederic is proficient in several languages.
Providing his testing van again was Dr. Ruben Rodriguez. The van allows us to test the hearing of 10 adults at a time, vastly improving the patients’ wait time. He also hosted an evening at his family home in Juchipila, Zacatecas. A wonderful home, good food, beautiful paintings and great hospitality! PDG Aureliano and his family also welcomed us into their home, using it as base to explore the annual festival in his hometown of Juchipila.
Plans are already underway for 2006. On March 4–12 the Hearing Lions will be going to Las Delicias, Chihuahua.
Many thanks to those of you who have helped John and me make these missions possible. I am reminded of the phrase: “Some people want it to happen, some wish it to happen, others make it happen” (author unknown). THP
