7 successful people living with hearing loss
Have you ever felt like you might be alone with your hearing loss? It sounds silly even in your own mind, but every once in a while you might feel like that.
The truth is of course, that millions of people the world over experience hearing loss as an obstacle. There is no reason to feel alone of trapped, because you can do anything you set your mind to despite your condition.
Take a look at the list below and you will find seven truly inspiration and successful people who overcame their hearing loss and achieved their dreams.
1. Bill Clinton
Like many baby boomers, Clinton ignored his hearing difficulties for years until doctors diagnosed him with high-frequency hearing deficiency, the most common form of hearing loss. It’s described as an inability to distinguish sounds in noisy, crowded situations with a lot of background chatter, such as restaurants, theatres or in Bill’s case, political rallies. It’s linked to aging and an exposure to loud noise. Clinton now wears two in-canal hearing aids.
2. Whoopi Goldberg
It may surprise some to know that the Academy Award winner and co-host of The View, Whoopi Goldberg, wears hearing aids. The 60-year-old attributes her hearing loss to years of listening to loud music and warns others about hearing loss: “Stop it in its tracks because not being able to hear is a bit of a b**ch. I can tell you that from experience”.
3. Lou Ferrigno
Best known as TV’s Incredible Hulk, actor and former bodybuilder Ferrigno, lost 75 percent of his hearing at the age of three due to an ear infection. The 64-year-old has worn hearing aids since he was four. “I think my hearing loss helped create a determination within me to be all I can be, and gave me a certain strength of character, too,”
4. Robert Redford
Redford, 78, insisted on performing his own stunts while filming his critically acclaimed movie, All Is Lost. Playing a solo sailor stranded in the Indian Ocean, he was submerged in a massive water tank day after day and pelted with water from an off-camera hose. The result: a severe ear infection that permanently robbed him of 60 per cent of his hearing in his left ear.
5. Helen Keller
Helen Adams Keller was an American author, activist and lecturer. She was the first deaf/blind person to graduate from college. Keller went on to become a world-famous speaker and author. She is remembered as an advocate for people with disabilities amid numerous other causes.
6. Beethoven
Beethoven was a great source of confidence for others as he was able to create and play music despite being completely deaf. Beethoven conquered his disability and became one of the greatest musicians of all time. Because Beethoven couldn’t hear the music or the audience’s applause, he would have to turn around to see if his work was a success.
7. Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison struggled in school due to his hearing loss, and was noted to be terrible at mathematics, unable to focus, and had difficulty with words and speech. Despite his official schooling ending after three years, he went on to develop many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb.
Have you or someone you know defied the odds and overcome their health to do something great? Let us know in the comments below.
Related links:
How to enjoy going to the movies with hearing loss
Study highlights importance of hearing tests
Understanding long-term hearing damage