In honor of the holiday season, HearingLife created the Magic of Giving Back program, which took submissions from people who needed hearing aids but couldn’t afford them. We received over 100 submissions from all over the country by people nominating themselves or loved ones for free hearing aids. This is the first of this year’s recipients.

Angela Taylor sent us her story, explaining that she lost her husband in January 2022 after a long and financially difficult cancer diagnosis. Then one day in February, she lost 65% of the hearing in her left ear and 10% in her right ear. Newly widowed, the additional loss of her hearing was devastating.

“I didn’t even want to be around people,” said Angela. “I felt like my world was over – the depression is very real.”

“People who struggle with hearing loss struggle with connecting with their family and they struggle with connecting with the world around them,” says Wendy Freihart, the hearing instrument specialist who fit Angela’s new hearing aids.

On the day of her hearing aid fitting, there were many tears of joy for Angela and Wendy, who said “we don’t just help people hear better, we change lives.”

“I cannot begin to tell you the difference that HearingLife has made in my life,” says Angela. “I am a Teacher's Assistant and I work with kids in reading groups 90 percent of the day. To be able to listen to a child read to me again without me struggling to hear or asking the child to please repeat the sentence or word – it is just amazing. Now, I am going out to eat and socializing with my friends and family. But for me, to be able to hear my grandkids say, ‘Nana,’ only one time to me is priceless! Thank you all so much!”

The Campaign for Better Hearing from HearingLife provides free hearing aids to deserving individuals year-round. Learn more about the program here – and if you’re ready to hear better, make an appointment for a complimentary hearing assessment today.

Watch local news coverage about Angela here.