11 Celebrities With Hearing Loss And How They Manage
By Kemi Mobuse - Saturday, February 27, 2016
Have you ever felt like you might be alone with your hearing
loss? None of your friends have hearing loss, or your parents and maybe
it’s just you? Of course it sounds silly, but every once in a while you
might feel like that.
The truth is that millions of people around the world are
dealing with hearing loss on a daily basis. And there is absolutely no
reason to feel alone or let hearing loss hold you back.
Take a look at the list below and you’ll see that even
celebrities cope with hearing loss in their lives. Hopefully you can find
some inspiration in their stories!
Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend is a musician, famously known for being a
songwriter and guitarist for the rock band, The Who. Townshend has hearing loss
and tinnitus in both ears, thought to be the result of loud noise exposure from
performing at concerts and wearing earphones in the music studio while
recording.
Townshend helped to fund the non-profit hearing advocacy
group H.E.A.R.(Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers). After an extensive
amount of time playing with his band, his hearing loss and tinnitus has
continued to progress. He will now use custom in-ear monitors, which he
received from an audiologist, while playing a concert. He notes that he will
get tinnitus following a performance or after listening to music. He makes use
of computer systems and engineers to help him with his music in the studio due
to his inability to hear high frequencies.
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton, former President of the United States was
found to have a moderate loss of high-frequency hearing when undergoing an
annual physical. He notes having difficulty hearing in crowded rooms and noisy
political rallies. His hearing loss is likely the result of the use of hunting
rifles, listening to rock and roll as a youth, and political rallies.
President Clinton now wears completely-in-the-canal (CIC)
hearing aids which helps him to hear in noisy environments.
William Shatner
Famous actor portraying Captain Kirk in the Star Trek
series, William Shatner suffers from tinnitus. He attributes the onset of his
tinnitus to an explosion incident occurring on the set of Star Trek. He has
found support from the American Tinnitus Association (ATA). He is an advocate
for research of a cure.
Lance Allred
Lance Allred was the first legally Deaf player in the NBA.
He played basketball for Team USA in 2002 at the Deaf Basketball Championships
in Greece. He made his debut in the NBA in 2008 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Allred was born Deaf and wears hearing aids in both ears. He
faced some adversity from teachers and coaches throughout his career due to his
hearing loss.
Allred recently wrote a book titled “Longshot: The
Adventures of a Deaf Fundamentalist Mormom Kid and His Journey to the NBA”
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the most famous musicians and
composers began losing his hearing at the age of 26. The cause of his hearing
loss is unknown, thought to be due to an illness, lead poisoning or lesion of
the inner ear.
He used an ear horn to assist in hearing at the early
stages. His hearing loss continued to progress to the point of deafness. At one
of his performances, he had to be turned around to see the applause, hearing
nothing. Once his hearing loss became more severe, he began using tablets of
paper to communicate with others. They would write down what they wanted to say
or ask him.
Marlee Matlin
Academy Award winning actree, Marlee Matlin, was diagnosed
with a profound hearing loss at the age of 18 months, thought to be due to a
malformed cochlea. She began to learn sign language at the age of 5.
Halle Berry
Actress Halle Berry has an 80% hearing loss in her left ear,
caused by being hit in the head by her boyfriend. She now strives to raise
awareness for domestic violence.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison, inventor, was reported as having a hearing
loss in both ears, beginning at the age of 12. His hearing loss is likely a
hereditary condition, as his father and son experienced the same hearing loss.
Edison would joke about the “benefits of hearing loss”,
noting that it helped him to better concentrate on his work. Undoubtedly, his
hearing loss made him more solitary.
Rob Lowe
Actor Rob Lowe has been deaf in one ear since he was 8 or 9
months old, thought to be the result of the mumps left undiagnosed. He notes that he
would like to be able to hear in stereo but he does not know any differently.
He reports difficulties hearing in noisy environments.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton, a legendary guitarist, has developed hearing
loss and tinnitus in both ears as a result of years of performing loud
concerts.
He notes that if he listens to music now, it is soft
classical. He wants to keep the hearing he has left.
Derrick Coleman
Derrick Coleman is the first deaf offensive
player in the NFL. His hearing loss was diagnosed at the age of 3 after his
parents noticed his speech was delayed.
He wears hearing aids in both ears. He experienced bullying
growing up from classmates and even teachers. He began playing football in high
school and learned to read lips on the field. He played football at UCLA and
went on to play for the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL.
Culled from everydayhearing.com
1 comments
Hmmmmm
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