Free hearing aid program helps Ontario woman hear for the 1st time in 60 years
Cindy Weber says her life will never be the same after receiving a gift most people take for granted - the ability to hear.
"You have no idea what it's like when I heard," an emotional Weber says.
For over 60 years, Weber lived with a hearing impairment after a bout of meningitis as a young child.
"I got from the age of six to 68 by reading lips," she says.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
A few weeks ago, Weber became one of five people in Ontario to receive a free pair of hearing aids as part of an annual program by Hear Well Be Well, called Gift of Hearing.
"I heard the first sounds of birds, and I will hear my grandson for the first time. You can't replace that," she says.
Hari Khalsa, a hearing instrument specialist with Hear Well Be Well, highlights that hearing loss is more common than most people might think.
He estimates 10 per cent of the world's population has hearing loss, with around 70 per cent of people over 70 experiencing some level of hearing impairment.
Cindy Weber, 68, of Tiny Township, Ont., has her hearing tested at the Hear Well Be Well clinic. (CTV News/Rob Cooper)
After getting the hearing aids, Weber says she experienced the world in a whole new way, including taking in all the sounds on the car ride home with her daughter, like the noise from the turn indicator.
"I can hear that signal, click click click click. There's birds. There's birds out there!"
Hear Well Be Well's hearing program offers free hearing aids to those who need them, with each pair costing as much as $10,000.
For those at Hear Well Be Well, the Gift of Hearing program is more than just providing hearing aids to those in need; it's about helping people improve their quality of life.
"We work with some of the manufacturers to be able to get people hearing aids at no charge," says Wendy Moore, Hear Well Be Well.
For Weber, her life will never be the same again.
"I can hear my footsteps when I walk," she says. "People that take things for granted really should be really lucky for what they have and be happy."
Hear Well Be Well will offer a similar program this ear and will accept applications in May.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6976871.1721873052!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
DEVELOPING Jasper updates: 'Significant loss' within Jasper townsite
One of two wildfires threatening Jasper National Park has reached the townsite.
Alberta calls in army to assist with wildfire situation
Alberta has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to help assist with the worsening wildfire situation in the province.
Biden explains why he ended re-election bid in Oval Office address
U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered a solemn call to voters to defend the country's democracy as he laid out in an Oval Office address his decision to drop his bid for reelection and throw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Norad intercepts Russian and Chinese bombers operating together near Alaska in apparent first
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (Norad) intercepted two Russian and two Chinese bombers flying near Alaska Wednesday in what appears to be the first time the two countries have been intercepted while operating together.
2 Canadians being 'sent home immediately,' removed from Olympic team after drone incident
An analyst and an assistant coach with Canada Soccer are being removed from the Canadian Olympic Team and 'sent home immediately,' according to the Canadian Olympic Committee.
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
Vacations, meals, booze: Contractor used $100K of charity's money for personal expenses, B.C. court finds
A B.C. man who was hired to help a non-profit build a food hub but instead spent the money on personal expenses – including travel, restaurants, booze and cannabis – has been ordered to pay more than $120,000 in damages.
Male, female killed, 2 others injured in 'gun battle' outside Toronto plaza: police
Two people are dead and two others suffered serious injuries following a shooting that police have described as a 'gun battle' outside a plaza in Scarborough, Ont. early Wednesday morning.