Students Raised Money for a Paraprofessional's Hearing Aids: A Heart-Warming Story

A special-ed paraprofessional at Valley High School, Sherri Farmer is legally deaf. She found out the cost of the hearing aids she needs was upward of $5,000. She could not afford so much. But students at the school raised $900 for a down payment through a school program that serves the community.

A kind woman, Farmer would often listen to the students’ problems, but now the students were helping with her problems. “It was so moving,” said Farmer, who cried. “It just gets me every time,” she added.

Farmer graduated from Valley High School and has worked there a long time. Another teacher noticed she was asking others to repeat themselves a lot and encouraged her to get a hearing test. The test revealed Farmer is deaf in 65 percent of both ears.

She could hear vowels, but not consonants. And having tinnitus, pain was increased by loud noises. She then realized her hearing loss was genetic and not her fault. She learned to accept herself just as she loved and accepted her special-needs students. Then, Jordon Rudd, a freshman, who knew about Farmer’s hearing loss, got a community effort going through a school program. It’s a heart-warming story that is hard to forget.

Being proactive about hearing loss is important for so many reasons. Valley High School students got in gear and helped a teacher who had tried to qualify for other programs outside of the community in getting hearing aids without success. Now, she can reach her goal, thanks to her students' efforts and the school program.

If you think you have hearing loss, contact your hearing instrument specialist at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for a free hearing evaluation.

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