Welcome and thank you for checking out this page! Any little bit helps. From $1 to spreading the word. This fundraiser is in place to help raise funds for a set of hearing aids for Anna. Unfortunately, her health insurance only covers hearing aids for those 18 years of age and younger. Sometimes it's easy to take the littlest things for granted. Vision and hearing are among the easiest. The sound of crickets chirping and birds singing... The phone ringing! All things you are probably glad you can hear. Help give Anna a chance to hear the little things too. Thank you all for your help and support!!

Anna was born with a hearing impairment in both ears. Her parents started to notice around the age of 3 that she was not responding very well when her name was called. They noticed she was sitting very close to the tv to hear the sound (eventually leading to poor vision as well). They took her to an audiologist and discovered that she had a hearing impairment. They were not sure what might have caused the impairment but they found that she had damage to her inner ears. They believe it might have been caused by complications during Anna's mother's pregnancy.

Anna's hearing impairment is considered to be moderately severe. She can hear low frequency sounds at the "mild" level. This level includes sounds such as a dog with a deep bark or a door slamming. 0 to 20 is the normal hearing level. Anna hears low frequencies at the 25 to 30 level. Mid-frequency is the level at which one can hear a normal conversation. Anna's level is at about 75-80 which is about moderately severe. The high frequency level consists of high pitch noises such as whistles, bells, and even certain letters such as f and s. This is what she has the most difficulty hearing and her hearing at this level is considered severe impairment.

Anna had a lot of difficulty growing up, especially in school. She is very bright, creative and intelligent. She made it through elementary school and high school on her own. When she got to college, it got tougher for her. She performed about average her first two years. She could not hear her professors in the large classrooms even though she sat up front. She was trying to teach herself the course material and as classes became more advanced her grades began to slip. She was beginning to lose hope and thought about dropping out. Finally, with the support of her family and close friends she decided to accept her impairment and ask Penn State for help. With the help of her amazing professors and advisors she eventually got better grades and even made the dean's list! It took her a while and she went through a lot of frustration but she managed to graduate with a degree in Crime, Law & Justice.

Anna also suffers from Tinnitus which is ringing of the ears. This is what makes it difficult for her to distinguish between the constant ringing (she hears it 24/7!) and high frequency noises. There is no cure for this but proper fitted hearing aids can decrease the effect of tinnitus.

With everyone's support we can help Anna live a more comfortable and somewhat normal life with new hearing aids. If you have any questions at all about hearing impairments or this fundraiser feel free to send us a message!

Much love to all!