Phoenix woman talks significance of World Hearing Day on March 3
PHOENIX - Wednesday is World Hearing Day, a day aimed to raise awareness and promote ear and hearing care.
Melanie O’Rourke had normal hearing until 19 years ago, when she contracted meningitis.
"When I woke up from my coma, I was left with a profound hearing loss," she said.
O’Rourke was 54 years old at the time and was adjusting to her new normal. O’Rourke has bilateral cochlear implants, which allow her to hear and understand speech.
"I’m hearing in a different way. I’m hearing electronically and not as you’re hearing acoustically with your hearing with your ear," O’Rourke explained.
At the time, O’Rourke was living in Chicago, working as a speech-language pathologist.
"It’s very tiring and exhausting and so working a full-time job with the cochlear implants was doable but it was much more challenging than before," she said.
She was able to retire early and move to Phoenix in 2005 where she became involved with the Hearing Loss Association of America. O’Rourke worked her way up to become the president of the West Valley Chapter.
"What this allows me to do, and the other board members, is to reach out to people with hearing loss. To give them information and education about accessories and making that first step to see an audiologist," O’Rourke explained.
According to the Hearing Loss Association of America, about 48 million Americans have some degree of hearing loss. O’Rourke says it’s essential to get individuals with hearing loss connected with the resources they need.
"We are there for support now with virtual meetings. There's been issues with the masks. There are clear masks available to people," O’Rourke said.
She wants to encourage people with good hearing to remember, "We want to hear and we want to be the judge of what you said and whether we want to hear it again or not, and that’s important for people with hearing loss."
Click here for more information from the Hearing Loss Association of America www.hearingloss.org/