Chapter News

Highland, Michigan Joan LaMarra, resident of Highland, Michigan, will have her wish for hearing aids granted on June 19^th, 2017 thanks to the Michigan Chapter of National Non-profit Twilight Wish Foundation and Huron Valley Hearing of Highland. LaMarra, 78, developed tinnitus after a fall in 1996 that has worsened over the years. As a result, she struggles to hear others, especially in crowded areas and can no longer volunteer as she cannot hear what others are saying. Due to financial constraints, LaMarra has been forced to cope without hearing, until she found the Twilight Wish Foundation, who grants wishes to low income deserving seniors 65 and older. LaMarra qualified for this wish because she has dedicated her life to helping others in her community. As a former beauty parlor owner, she volunteered at the Detroit Receiving Hospital in the burn unit, working with patients with scarring and hair loss. In the past, LaMarra has donated her services to “Look Good, Feel Better”, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life and self-esteem of cancer treatment patients. Her role was to measure women for wigs and teach patients how to care for them. In addition to this service, LaMarra volunteered for the VFW 1518 Ladies Auxiliary of Gaylord for six years. Thanks to the generosity of Huron Valley Hearing of Highland, MI her wish will come true. Huron Valley Hearing is fulfilling this wish by donating refurbished, top-end hearing aids, cleaning tools, batteries, a fitting and three post visit services as well as a TV streaming device and a Bluetooth phone device. In addition; ReSound, the manufacturer of the hearing aids and devices is donating an extra year of warranty for each device so they can be serviced by the manufacturer if needed. Twilight Wish is thankful for Huron Valley Hearing and Resound for sharing in the same vision of making the world a better place to age, one wish at a time. In this case, that wish is ensuring that LaMarra will never have to struggle to hear again.

Twilight Wish Foundation is a national nonprofit charitable organization whose mission is to honor and enrich the lives of deserving elders through wish granting celebrations that connect generations. Since its founding in 2003, Twilight Wish has granted over 2,620 individual wishes to seniors throughout the United States. Twilight Wish grants wishes to seniors who are over 65 years old and have an income of less than 200% of poverty level or who are residents of a nursing facility and cannot make their own wishes come true. If you would like to help make a senior’s heartfelt wish or lifelong dream come true, visit www.twilightwish.org or call 989-941-7941 to speak to our Michigan Chapter Director.

Huron Valley Hearing offers services to address all hearing and balance needs. Their audiologists hold Michigan licensure and fellowship in the American Academy of Audiology. They work with advanced technology to determine the cause, type, and severity of hearing loss, and offer a wide range of solutions to treat or manage any hearing loss found. These solutions may include cerumen management or amplification (hearing aids and assistive devices). Audiologists at Huron Valley are also trained and experienced in assessing and treating balance disorders, including vertigo caused by labyrinthitis and positional dizziness. Both audiologists can also resolve issues related to tinnitus (ringing in the ears) using techniques like counseling, habituation methods, masking, and auditory stimulation. For more information, visit www.wandzel.com or call 248-889-7600 to schedule a consultation.