The Dallas Hearing Foundation is an excellent resource for information, community and encouragement during your journey with hearing loss. As an established (20 years!) work of heart, Dr. Peters, Ms. Clark and all the volunteers provide such a wonderful service for individuals with hearing loss and their families. Props, DHF! Here's to 20 more!
DHF (most notably Jennifer Clark) guided me through the process of upgrading my Version 4 implant, circa 2008, to a Version 7. The Foundation made important suggestions that enabled me to accomplish this via grants from the Cochlear manufacturer as well as a grant from them. My experience was seemless. Many thanks to all, the Board of the DHF, Cochlear America and especially to my new "pal" Jennifer Clark.
Our health insurance did not cover anything for our daughter's hearing loss. The Dallas Hearing Foundation helped her to get new hearing aids - and then a year later - her first cochlear implant. What a blessing to be given the gift of sound!!! Our lives are forever changed and greatful for the Dallas Hearing Foundation!
Previous Stories
Hearing aids and related services are sometimes not covered by insurance. This non profit gives much needed technology to kids and adults who may struggle to pay the $5,000+ to get hearing technology.
My daughter is 5 years old and our insurance did not cover hearing related expenses. The DHF paid for her to get new hearing Aids and now we are heading towards the process of cochlear implants, which the DHF will cover for us as well. It’s a huge financial burden they lifted off of us to be able to provide hearing for our daughter!!
The Dallas Hearing Foundation has been a life changer, a game changer for me! I’ve lived with hearing loss since I was six years old, now going on 33. I have no hearing in my left ear and I was very hard of hearing on my right. I have a crazy level of tinnitus to boot, which makes understanding everyday speech and sound a real nightmare. One day an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor recommended that I get a cochlear implant when I failed a hearing test that let me know that, “hey, hearing aids are no longer helping you communicate in the land of hearing”. My hearing had now come to a point where the things people would say to me would start to disappear. Or more accurately, the sounds within words spoken to me would disappear, so I understood every third word in a sentence. I was trapped in my own head with nothing but tinnitus most of the time. I read lips, or had things put in writing for me, but it was very frustrating, depressing, and isolating living like this. I needed a cochlear implant, but I was scared, and I didn’t know what to do.
For 3 years it felt like I slipped into a crack in the system where no matter what I did, I couldn't get the help I needed to cover a cochlear implant and hear again. Then in early in 2017 I took a chance and applied for the Dallas Hearing Foundation, and I was accepted. For the entire year I truly felt like this was nothing but a miracle, and grace from God. I still feels this way. The Dallas Hearing Foundation is a miracle. For the entire year the administrator for the foundation kept in contact with me as I filled out all the requirements that were needed. She was very sweet and very knowledgeable--and she is even more amazing in person.
I am glad to say that in September 2018 I was finally able to meet her in Dallas, Texas. I flew all the way from sunny Florida to finally realize the manifestation of a long held prayer for better hearing, a new shift in my hearing loss journey, and a complete change to my life style through the gift of receiving a cochlear implant. It has been more than worth it.
The Dallas hearing foundation has people working for them that are some of the best people I have ever met. The entire medical staff that I had met from the surgeon to the anesthesiologist, to the audiologist and audio-verbal therapist, and every single nurse placed in my path are some of the best people I've ever met in the medical profession. The people working for the Dallas Hearing Foundation are knowledgeable, patient, kind, and compassionate. For the first time in a very long time I was treated like a person not just another “hearing impaired”. I was cared for so, so well. If I did not understand something verbally they signed it to me or wrote it down. I deeply appreciated this, and I was amazed because there are not a lot of people that I have met in the medical community that utilize sign language as another method of communication with deaf and hard of hearing patients. The medical staff told me things about myself that I never knew that help explained 26 years of hearing loss, that was a mystery to me before!
The Dallas Hearing Foundation provided above and beyond anything that I could've ever imagined. They provided me so many blessings that have changed my life that I could never afford on my own. And while I was in Dallas, they helped me find affordable housing for out-of-town patients. They covered so many needs medically every step of the way, from appointments, surgery needs, post-op medicine, therapy, and equipment. I had the freedom to choose which brand of implant and what color. I had the freedom to trust myself to their care and rest. I am completely stunned, grateful, and humbled by how wonderful every person I met for the Dallas Hearing Foundation has been.
The cochlear implant I now have, just implanted a little over a month ago, has opened my world up in extraordinary ways. I hear sounds now that I've never heard before. I hear sounds that I used to hear before my hearing severely declined. I have a greater range of where sound is coming from. I can hear the TV from a separate room. I can have conversations with people in a crowded place like a church lobby. I’ve picked up sounds I’ve never, ever heard before, like the sound a dog makes when she licks your face. And even though every day I'm still working hard to train my brain to re-learn sound and speech, for the first time in my life I HAVE HOPE that it can and will only get better from here. The Dallas Hearing Foundation went above and beyond anything I ever expected. They provided me equipment that enriches my life in new ways. They provided me with audio verbal therapy which I did not know I needed until I went to the first appointment, and my eyes were opened the things I had never knew about how we communicate and hear in the world.
The Dallas hearing foundation is without a doubt one of the best organizations I have ever seen. Because even after my time in Dallas was done and I flew back home to Florida, I was still honored to learn from their Facebook page how the foundation continues to help other people like me who are in desperate need and have no real resource for help. Have you ever seen a child hear for the first time? Have you ever seen a mother cry tears of joy because she has a part of her life back? It’s incredible how they’ve served so many people. I’m still overwhelmed in such a good way, and so, so grateful. I still keep in touch with the wonderful people in the Dallas Hearing Foundation to this day. God has blessed my life through them. I was in a place of suffering; I’m now in a place of hope. I do not just have my life back; I have a life to build forward in new and greater ways then before. That's my story. Thank you, Dallas Hearing Foundation.Thank you!
i am so thankful for the help from Dallas Hearing Foundation. I have been wearing hearing aids since 1995 and my ears have gotten to wear I can't I can't hear anything without hearing aids. The last hearings aids that I had for 5 years have stop working. I cried so much cause I really needed them. I have been without them for almost 5 months. My family was a big help and my sons told me mama go online and see if you can find help so that is what I did. I found Deaf Action Center. I contact them and they refer me to a couple of places. There was a waiting list on them. I contact Dallas Hearing Foundation and was told to send in paper work. I cried and prayed. They gave me hope again. In no time I was approved and cried some more.Dallas Hearing Foundation have given me a chance to hear again. It is truly a blessing. I will forever be thankful for their help. I feel like I have my life back. Thank you so much Dallas Hearing Foundation.
I am the administrator for the Dallas Hearing Foundation and am privileged to witness giving the gift of hearing and speech each and every day. Each recipient of services through DHF becomes part of the DHF family. The DHF team, surgeons, audiologists and therapists are very passionate about helping each person that comes through the foundation.
The Dallas Hearing foundation changes lives each day. Their team has worked tirelessly to impact the lives with the gift of hearing.
We attend the annual event to raise money to help fund the treatment and surgery for cochlear implants or other services, each year we are astounded by the stories of success the recipients share with attendees.
I am so thankful for the support group DHS holds monthly as the people I met there has been so helpful to me during the beginning stages of me getting my cochlear implant. I also have enjoyed the different speakers on various topics.
Thanks to the Dallas Hearing Foundation, my daughter received her 1st hearing aid June 2011. Such a blessing for my daughter being able to hear
It has forever changed her life. Thank to DHF and Dr. Peters. We love you!
The Dallas Hearing Foundation does so much compared to the size of the organization. They work very hard to insure that those children who cannot afford hearing devices, therapy and cochlear implant surgery have access to the gift of hearing. Because our niece has a cochlear implant we are well aware of how important hearing is to children. Every year we attend their gala and we are amazed at the beautiful stories of those helped by the hearing foundation. This organization provides miracles for so many children in Texas and around the world!
When i learnt my son,Amari, was deaf I had no clue where to start.At the time,i did not know a single person living with a disability let alone know how to handle my own child who i had now been told was deaf.Soon enough,I was introduced to cochlea implants,a mdeical device that would help my son hear and talk but they did not come easy or cheap and were out of reach as a young mum fresh out of campus on her first job. Thus started my journey to look for help,i searched and knocked on so many doors because I knew all I wanted was for Amari to hear and talk,hear me say 'I love you'.I had the DHF,application completed and ready to be sent but at this point hope was waning,i had received quite a number of regret letters and had no game plan if this was rejected. I hesitated to send the application letter.The application sat in my draft box for another few days,but finally i wrote to Jennifer.And so my journey to hearing begun with a confirmation from DHF, and they have not let go since,holding my hand all through the way and through the thousands of miles that separate us.My life and that of my son has been changed by their kindness,from Jennifer who sat with me as Amari went to surgery,to Linda who we continues to work with us every weekend and not to mention Dr.Peters who took the time to patiently address all my concerns (and you know how mothers can get
Love the mission of the Dallas Hearing Foundation. They fill a great need in the community, helping give the gift of hearing!
My wife, Heather, and I have been a part of this family for almost 10 years. The caring and compassion that is involved with the Dallas Hearing Foundation is amazing. What they are able to accomplish, with all aspects of their organization, from the doctor, therapists, helpers, volunteers, donors etc., is incredible. Seeing an adult or child that has been blessed with the gift of hearing, just makes me happy to be a part of something this big. The opportunities that it opens up for each person, because their hearing has been restored, makes everything worth while. We thoroughly enjoy being involved with the Dallas Hearing Foundation. - Todd McBride
Our daughter, Rachel Hope Casey, was born on February 02, 2015. We started to suspect that she was hearing impaired at the age of 1 and had a hearing screening done on her, which she failed. We were devastated because there are so little resources that cater to special needs children in Belize. Deep down we knew we had to do whatever it took to get her some type of intervention. Here in Belize, we are not fortunate enough to have audiologists to conduct the proper hearing tests so we started to seek medical care in other countries. After about 3 months of searching, we were blessed to receive assistance from the Dallas Hearing Foundation. In June 2016, we flew to Dallas with our hopes in the clouds. Her doctor, Dr. Brian Robert Peters, spoke to us about her options and we opted for placement of a cochlear implant. Rachel received a cochlear implant and was activated on June 29, 2016 with audiologist Mrs. Leslie Lianos. The entire process was made easy and much less stressful because we were treated with such kindness and love, especially by Mrs. Jennifer Clark. We had only 2 weeks more to be in Dallas since we had to get back to Belize to our jobs so we started intense auditory-verbal therapy with Ms. Linda Daniel. We met with her almost every day for those 2 weeks and she was very understanding of our needs, having meetings at her house on the weekend during 4th of July celebrations!! By the end of those 2 weeks, Rachel was already making progress. Rachel started responding to her name 3 weeks after activation and at 2 months of hearing, she was imitating some animal sounds and small words. About 4 months after we got even more good news: DHF wanted to sponsor Rachel for her second implant!!!! She had her 2nd surgery in Feb 2017 and now at the age of 2yrs 10months Rachel is attending mainstream pre-school, singing her favorite songs, dancing to her favorite music, saying short phrases/sentences, etc. Everyday she amazes us with something new she learns. Dallas Hearing Foundation really is the best! Everyone went beyond their duties to make us feel at home. Thanks to this foundation and all the members of her medical team, we now have a new vision for Rachel. The sky is the limit for her. We owe our lives to DHF.
This is a great organization. I have been I volunteer for over 5 years now and it is always very inspirational to hear each person's story who has benefited from this organization. They really care about their patients.
We would like to take this opportunity to humbly introduce ourselves and share our fascinating experience with the Dallas Hearing Foundation over the past year! We are Glen Enriquez and Carla Paulino, proud parents of Suamein Enriquez, six years old from Belize, Central America. Our son was diagnosed with profound hearing loss soon after his premature birth in 2011. We have been in a constant search for solutions to his condition ever since. Initially, we were informed about the Dallas Hearing Foundation by fellow Belizeans, Wilhelm and Samantha Casey, whose adorable baby girl Rachel Hope Casey had received a cochlear implant in June 2016 (through the foundation).
Their raving reviews regarding the Dallas Hearing Foundation prompted us to seek assistance for our son from that foundation. We immediately made arrangements to take Suamein to Dallas in hopes of accessing the services that we believed would be beneficial to him in his early childhood development. Once in Dallas, we got Suamein’s hearing aids upgraded through the foundation and we were then referred to Linda Daniel, the founder of Hear in Dallas. She was highly recommended by Mrs. Jennifer Clark and Dr. Peters and in the days and weeks that followed, we quickly learned why. We started sessions in Dallas and we immediately noticed results! Within the first week, Suamein was repeating sounds and he was mimicking consistently. He was also imitating actions properly and made and maintained eye contact with everyone he directly communicated with. Prior to these sessions, he had not done any of these things consistently!
Since our stay in Dallas was limited during our first visit to Texas, the arrangement was made through Dallas Hearing Foundation for us to continue engaging in therapy sessions with Suamein by means of online distance therapy: Dallas - Belize. The results have been amazing! Through these sessions, Suamein has been able to learn to say basic words such as: “Mom”, “Pa”, “more”, “ball”, “in”, “on” and “off.” What is most impressive is that he uses these words appropriately. This entire experience has been a work in progress, but none of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the Dallas Hearing Foundation. The genuine concern and professionalism that Ms. Jennifer Clarke and Dr. Peters have demonstrated throughout our relationship with the organization are sincerely appreciated by our family. We highly recommend the Dallas Hearing Foundation for any family that may need meaningful intervention for their loved ones with hearing disabilities. We are eternally grateful to the foundation for everything it has done for our son and our family! God bless you always!