There are few technological innovations in the world that are as life changing as hearing aids. These tiny instruments have reconnected people with a vivid world they once thought was lost to them forever. Imagine being a child of 12 and learning that you’re losing your hearing; you might feel a little alone and scared.

That’s what happened to Elspeth Bowles. Elspeth had spent her young years having trouble in school and even at home because she just couldn’t hear anyone clearly. After getting a hearing loss diagnosis, her family was finally able to get her real help.

Help came in the form of hearing aids that allowed Elspeth to hear all the things she’d been missing out on. That also meant that she started excelling in school. Thanks to her improvement, she was accepted into university and she just graduated from the school of sociology in 2020. Hearing aids made a massive change in her life journey.

Then we have Phil Hilton, who had spent years avoiding phone conversations and social engagements because sounds were muffled and just too difficult for him to keep up with. Once he decided to have his hearing tested in 2016 and started using hearing aids everything changed. Phil had not had contact with his older brother since the 60s when he was 6, and his brother, who was 18 at the time, left for the army.

While building a family tree last year on a genealogy website, that brother found him and asked if they could connect on a phone call. A few years prior, that conversation would have been impossible for Phil. But with the latest leaps and bounds in technology, that conversation happened, a relationship blossomed, and now Phil has an irreplaceable bond with his brother that he will cherish all his life.

These are just two of the hundreds of thousands of stories of people that have changed the course of their lives because they were finally able to hear the world well again. During this holiday season, be able to enjoy all the joyous sounds and connect with loved ones through the gift of hearing.