Dad creates hearing aids sleeves to his daughter

Mark’s daughter, Shameera, was diagnosed with partial trisomy 18 soon after birth. Trisomy 18, also known as Edward’s syndrome, is a rare but serious genetic condition that causes a wide range of severe medical problems, amongst them hearing impairment. At the age of two, Shameera had developed mild to moderate hearing loss, in addition to having a significant cognitive delay. She started using hearing aids and soon Mark realized how delicate they were.

“As the stay home dad I was very much involved in my daughter’s life. I was always fixing the hearing aids. My daughter wore a paediatric hearing aid clip but she destroyed it and the hearing aids didn’t stay on very long”, Mark said.

After going through clip after clip Mark decided he has to try something different. He got the idea to get a hook and sleeve for Shameera’s hearing aids. There were already hearing aid accessories available on the market but nothing that was appropriate enough according with Mark.

“After giving the problem a fair bit of thought, I came up with the idea of a colorful pair of spandex sleeves that would cover Shameera’s hearing aids and essentially lock them in. These sleeves would then be attached to cord and a clip. Now, if Shameera took off her hearing aids they would hang safely with the added bonus that it was very difficult for Shameera to remove the hearing aids from the sleeves”, said Mark.

This was the start of the Ear Gear. Almost a decade later, Mark’s business is still going and he has customers all over the world.

"Ear Gear allows them (patients) to live their lives, feel comfortable, and look great", Mark stated.

Adapted from: http://www.theaudiologisttobe.com/2014/02/father-inspired-by-daughters-h...

More info: https://www.gearforears.com