Something pretty darn great about my family.

I’ve been blogging for just under FIVE YEARS NOW.  It is crazy how fast time goes.

Over the last five years I have shared with you a lot about my family.  You’ve seen close to a bajillion photos of our Sunday family dinners.  You’ve seen my dad accompany me on my long runs and his smile that is incredibly contagious.  There have been plenty of posts about me and my sister working out together and eating way too much candy in one sitting.  There have been visits to my brothers houses and the adventures that we take exploring their areas.  You’ve also seen my mom supporting me in every way possible during the good times and the bad times.

Something I haven’t really told you about over the years has been one of my mom’s biggest trials.  My mom has had hearing loss and worn hearing aids as long as I can remember (having a mom that could read lips was both a good and a bad thing when I was a teenager;).   Even though my mom’s hearing loss has always been a part of my life, it still makes me tear up just thinking about what a difficult thing it has been for her over the years.  The isolation and all of the frustration that goes along with hearing loss—>  She is a strong woman, that I know.

Six years ago my mom’s hearing became so bad that even the most expensive hearing aids didn’t do much.

This is where it gets good:)

My dad, who is an inventor and engineer, decided to devote all of his time to building a hearing aid that could help my mom.  (yep, I still cry thinking about this too because it has been one of the sweetest acts of love I have ever seen)

Over the last few years some of his inventions made it so that my mom could hear a lot better than we had been used to.  As my mom has used my dad’s hearing aid, it has been amazing to see her hear in situations that she used to miss.  It was crazy to me to have my mom ask me about the fireworks that were going on miles away (WHAT?  You can hear that mom?) or being able to have long conversations when she is not able to lip read.  Meeting her for lunch and her being able to hear every word that we say is so different than anything I have known before.  It has been amazing.

After years of researching and testing, my dad has released his own hearing aid.   I wanted to share with you guys just in case there are people reading with hearing loss or if you have people in your life too that struggle with this trial.

Hearing aids are ridiculously expensive (thousands of dollars).  My dad wanted to build a hearing aid that almost anyone could afford.  He has made sure his hearing aid included the best technology along with his new inventions.

He created a body worn hearing aid that looks like a small mp3 player.

Brooke loves to hold it while they are reading together so that my mom can hear all of her commentaries throughout the story.

When my grandpa and great-grandpa were getting older they needed this kind of hearing aid but it was not available.  My dad has wanted to help the people who struggle the most with hearing loss.  It can be so hard on family members when they cannot communicate and they cannot afford the expensive hearing aids.  Now thanks to my dad, they can.

Thank you for being a part of my life and my family’s life.

Sponsored by my obsession with my family.