After a life-changing visit at HearingLife, Sydney Holman contacted us to share her story and help put a new face on hearing aids. Read on to learn more about how it’s never too late to treat your hearing loss.
Sydney Holman has had hearing loss since she was a child, but she spent many years without hearing aids because her family could not afford them.
“I had a hearing loss as a child – I struggled to watch TV and follow along with reading out loud in school. Marco Polo with friends in gym class was especially difficult. When I couldn’t hear the doorbell, I knew I had a hearing loss,” Sydney explained.
Sydney spent 10 years of her childhood in speech therapy through school, and highly recommends taking advantage of early intervention programs in public schools if offered. By the time she got her first hearing aids at 10 years old, she had already learned to speak without being able to hear clearly. Around age 13, those hearing aids were no longer effective, and Sydney went without for almost a decade.
“I had just gotten my first professional job out of college and didn’t know how I was going to make it,” she explains. “So when I saw an ad in the newspaper for hearing aids, I made an appointment to go in.”
That was when she met Dr. Maas at HearingLife in Oak Forest, IL, who fitted her with a very discreet in-the-canal hearing aid.
“Wearing my hearing aids is not problematic because the size is small and they are very discreet,” Sydney says. “I can hide them with my hair or wear big earrings.”
Sydney works as a lobbyist for a national law firm and has found hearing aids to be key to her career success – and her personal hobbies, too.
“I love to travel and see the world,” says Sydney, who lived in Chile for 6 months and traveled to other parts of South America. “My hearing loss doesn’t stop me from experiencing all that life has to offer.”
One of Sydney’s biggest passions is bringing people together and helping them find opportunities that align with who they are. That means being able to hear those people is essential for her happiness and success.
“A lot of people think of individuals with disabilities as non-functional,” says Sydney, “But we have jobs and lives! I have a great career and would like to change the face of hearing loss.”
It’s important to Sydney to show others that hearing aids are not just for the elderly – and they are not bulky or embarrassing!
“My advice to those, especially to those who are young and have hearing loss, those who are working through the stigma, the low self-esteem – learn to love yourself!” Sydney exclaims. “Whatever deficit you think you have is really a positive – push forward and don’t be held hostage to other people’s opinions. Get hearing aids if you can afford them – most people don’t even know you’re wearing them!”
If you're ready to find out what hearing aid options might be right for you - book an appointment today.