Thomas is hearing impaired and in need of new hearing aids. Unfortunately, he has other physical problems in addition to his hearing loss. In addition to breaking both his elbows in the past, he now walks with the aid of crutches.

Thomas just wants to improve his hearing enough to function and not be scared at night because he can’t hear. Getting the new hearing aids, however, is proving difficult. After being bounced back and forth between Medicaid and Medicare, he found out that neither health-care program could assist him.

Thomas was at a loss until a caseworker, Michael Randall, went out of his way to help. Randall found Hear Now, a Starkey Hearing Foundation program that assists hearing-impaired individuals with hearing aids when they have no other resource available to them.

While the program provided a possible solution, Thomas still needed help with the program’s $250 application fee. This is where Friends In Deed was able to help. Thomas is now able to apply to the program.

Getting the hearing aids is just the first step toward being able to communicate and get assistance in other areas of his life. “I’m just trying to stay positive and not give up,” Thomas said of his journey to “get back to a normal life.”

“There is help,” Thomas said about his struggle to find resources. “You just have to ask.”