Dear Friends and Family,

As many of you know, in 2016, Keegan was diagnosed with unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.  As a parent, I was shocked to hear this, as he had a normal hearing screen at birth, he didn't have a history of an excessive number of ear infections, and he had no impairment of speech.  Keegan did not exhibit any signs that would make us concerned about his hearing.  Furthermore, what started out as a mild hearing loss corrected by a hearing aid, degraded to a profound hearing loss in a year's time.  Our options were either to do nothing, and hope he wouldn't lose hearing in the other ear, or to pursue a cochlear implant.  On October 13, 2017, Keegan had cochlear implant surgery at NYU and was later activated on November 17, 2017.  It has been an educational and emotional journey, to say the least. Keegan amazes me with his strength and his happy outlook on life.  What better way to celebrate than to support the Hearing Loss Association of America through the Walk4Hearing?  

Why Walk?
We walk because hearing loss is a public health issue third in line after heart disease and arthritis. 

Hearing loss affects one's ability to communicate every day in different situations - from a dinner conversation at a noisy restaurant, on the phone, to not hearing alarm clocks and smoke alarms. For people with hearing loss, these situations can become obstacles without the right information and support. HLAA provides assistance and resources for people with hearing loss and their families to learn how to adjust to living with hearing loss.  

Sincerely,

Kevin