On May 3, 2016, Jeannine Chiasson decided to leave her hearing aids at home for a quick trip to the gym. Not long after, her entire community of Fort McMurray was evacuated due to a massive wildfire.
Chiasson’s hearing aids burned in the flames that destroyed her house. The hairdresser has not been able to hear properly since losing them eight months ago.
“It’s been hard… I try to pop my ears all the time so I can hear better,” Chiasson said.
“When it’s one to one, face to face, I kind of read lips, so it’s not so bad,” she said. “But when you’re in an environment when there’s noise around and hair blowers, it’s very difficult (to hear).”
Chiasson did not have insurance to cover her old hearing aids.
On Monday, she received a special gift from the Beltone Hearing Care Foundation, an organization that donates hearing instruments to those who may otherwise be unable to access them.
“We are delighted to have chosen Jeannine Chiasson as the first recipient of the new Beltone Hearing Care Foundation,” Corrine Perritano, president of Beltone, said in a news release.
“She is well deserving and obviously a person who so desperately needed our help.”
Chiasson’s new hearing aids are top of the line, worth about $8,000. She noticed a difference as soon as she tried them on.
“It’s amazing. It’s so clear. It’s unbelievable.”
Chiasson was nominated by Beltone Hearing Care practitioner Alicja Kononowicz. Both women cried when she tested the new devices.
“Making (Chiasson) hear again,” Kononowicz said, “it really feels good, like I’ve done my job.”
Chiasson’s house will be rebuilt this year. She feels 2017 is already off to a good start.
“I’m very thankful. It’s a life-changing moment for me.”
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