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VA News published the story of Edward Romero, a Navy communications specialist who served during Vietnam from 1963 to 1965 and later lost his hearing gradually over years. His hearing loss eventually cost him his public relations firm and cut him off from conversations with his children and grandchildren. Hearing aids did not help, and he had reached the point of accepting that he would not hear again.
The turning point came in 2013 at his son's wedding. Unable to follow conversation and called on to speak as the father of the groom, Romero announced to the room that he could not converse because of his hearing loss. A guest who happened to be a VA audiologist approached him, checked his hearing on the spot, and encouraged him to ask his local VA medical center about available services. That led him to VA Eastern Colorado, where audiologist Dr. Kerri Richter evaluated him and a cochlear implant was recommended after hearing aids proved insufficient.
Following surgery and the activation of the implant, Romero described being able to hear clearly again. He has since joined a veteran advocacy group to make other veterans aware that VA offers this care. Richter's message in the article is that veterans with hearing loss do not have to accept their situation, and that options exist when hearing aids are not enough.
Learn more here.
