How I got my life back – my hearing has been restored to near-normal

/ November 5, 2014

This is an extremely personal note, and I have been waiting a week to write to see if in fact the results were real and lasting. I’m happy to report that they are and I am a changed person as a result of this transformation. Let me tell you a story about my struggle and how I suffered with hearing loss for years. Let me explain how my family and my friends and my career and everything suffered along with it, and what I did to solve it.

Many of you that read WUWT and have met me in person at conferences, speaking engagements, and over the telephone, realize what a struggle everyday life has been for me with an 85% hearing loss. The story begins when I was an infant – I had a series of infections which our local doctor treated with tetracycline, an antibiotic that at the time they did not know would cause long-term hearing loss. It also causes discoloring of your adult teeth in later life. Like with so many drugs, no one quite knew at the time what long-term effects it might have. The product is now [mostly] off the market, however the effects have remained with me and many other people.

By the time I was five years old my mother began to realize that something was not right with my hearing. She would accuse me of not paying attention to her or to be ignoring her when she called me to come in after playing outside. By the time I was 10 years old I needed a hearing aid and for the first time I heard crickets and birds chirping and it rose to a “wow” moment for me. But it did not last and my hearing continued to degenerate. A couple of months after I got my first hearing aid, my father died unexpectedly and thrust me into an even greater personal turmoil.

During high school I got tagged with the stigma of wearing a hearing aid as well as the social isolation that began to creep in. By the time I was in college I needed a second hearing aid on my other ear, because I could not hear lectures and I was having trouble interacting with people. Wearing two hearing aids gave me a binaural advantage and it helped, but again it did not last, and my hearing began to deteriorate further. This was not unexpected, as it was known that such things would happen as a result of the tetracycline damaging the nerve cells of my cochlea.

Along with the trouble I had in college, particularly with the requirements for taking a foreign language in school of science, (well before the Americans with Disabilities Act existed – they had no solution for me) there was a huge social stigma attached and my own self-worth suffered as a result. Through a happy accident with the computer that directed students for employment for the work – study program, I found myself as employed as a faculty research assistant for the school of atmospheric sciences at Purdue University, and it was there that I began to find my calling.

I was employed to help with the research on the tornado simulator re-creating and verifying some of Dr. Theodore Fujita’s science on tornadoes, particularly multiple vortices. I also was tasked with creating, equipping, and constructing the Cherry Lane remote meteorological facility for the University. I was tasked with getting live real-time data back from this facility to display in the hallway at the atmospheric sciences department. This is no small task in 1976 when things like modems, analog-to-digital converters, and real-time data streams were hard to come by.

About the same time the local television station, WLFI-TV, had just put on “Miss Indianapolis 500” to do the local weather report. Her main asset was her ability to look pretty, but it became painfully clear that she had no cognizance of what she was doing, and I wrote a complaint letter to the TV station saying “surely you could find someone more qualified in this college town particularly with the University that has the meteorology department.”

Weeks passed, and I forgot about the letter but a change occurred at the TV station and all the sudden I see a qualified individual, an agricultural meteorologist from the agronomy department doing the weather presentation there. He was competent and concise, but in terms of presentation the pendulum had shifted to the extreme other hand and the delivery was difficult to watch. I hadn’t given it another thought though because I thought that they had paid attention to what I complained about. A couple of months later I ran into this gentleman in the hallway of the meteorology department at Purdue and I ask him how the job was going. And he replied to me that he hated it, he was thinking of quitting, and that he didn’t like the hours, and he didn’t like how he had to work in dark studio 11 o’clock at night. I wished him well and we went our separate ways, and I thought to myself later in the day “gee, I could do that job”.

Being young, naïve, and probably a little bit stupid I went to the television station the next day to apply for the job, I didn’t even call first. I just said I wanted to see the “person in charge of the news”. They brought him to the front desk, and said I want to apply for this job and he looked at me and sized me up there in my best suit with a stupid grin on my face, and said simply “okay let’s see what you got”.

I’d never before been on television with chromakey but I had some experience with a television class and radio class in my high school. And, I had confidence that I could speak in public thanks to reading passages from the Bible at my church in front of the whole congregation. I was told I had a great voice. To my own surprise and to the surprise of the news director, I nailed the audition and they hired me on the spot. And after the first week on the job, some of the fear and self-loathing I had over my hearing loss began to evaporate and I realized that this was my destiny. In broadcasting I didn’t have to listen, I didn’t have to understand speech, I only have to talk. And because of my hearing loss I had developed a deep booming voice, mainly so that I could hear my own voice, and it was a major major asset for a broadcaster. All of a sudden I went from being pained, shy, and socially isolated to being a person who began to emerge into the light.

But, let me tell you my friends the media business is a lonely one. Friendships don’t easily form, because people climb the ladder and are very competitive and they think to themselves “I’m only going to be here a year or two so why should I form friendships when I just have to abandon them very soon”.

So, what does all of this have to do with my hearing loss? Well it has to do with the fact that hearing loss is a terrible social isolation. People that are blind actually do better socially than people with severe hearing loss. And many people who have severe hearing loss such as myself get symptoms that further exacerbates the social isolation. Much of my life over the past 40 years has been a great deal of social isolation. But it has gotten worse lately as my hearing deteriorated further in 2008 and it was about that time that I discovered that blogging opened a whole new world for me and allowed me to form friendships with people around the world – something I’ve never experienced before. Even though I was no longer on television, blogging became my social outlet while my hearing suffered further.

The downside of all of this was that blogging took time away from my family, and my due to the continual deterioration of my hearing I became a social hermit. My family suffered as a result of this and I recognize now how much I’ve lost due to this situation.  I cringe now, when I think of the pain I’ve caused my own family, due to that isolation. I credit my ex-wife for giving me the “giant kick in the ass” that led to the transformation that I experienced a week ago in Minneapolis Minnesota at a company called Starkey laboratories and their hearing foundation which serves people worldwide.

On October 27th, I walked in to the doors of the Starkey hearing foundation and I asked for help, and they gave it without hesitation. But, after going to the initial evaluation the news was not good, not good at all. My hearing had deteriorated into what would be called the profound loss category and you can see this in the photo below of my hearing test that was administered that morning.

IMG_20141027_072951As you can see the test results were pretty grim. And when the consultant told me that he wasn’t sure he could do much for me without going to large behind the ear hearing aids or some other solution. My heart sank. I had been able to eliminate part of my social stigma by going to what’s called CIC hearing aids which stand for “completely in canal”, but now I was going to have to deal with the stigma of the behind the ear aids that I dealt with as a student and in early adult life. But I wouldn’t accept no for an answer, and I pleaded with the consultant, Neil, to create new hearing aids in the style that I was currently wearing. His major concern was that they would go into constant feedback given the sound pressure levels that I needed as well as the proximity of the microphone and the speaker over such a short distance inside my ear canal. But I reminded him that technology has advanced and that the new feedback suppression systems as well as other advances might give me a chance and we had a good talk about it. He agreed to help me.

This section of the campus at the Starkey Laboratories is called the Center for Excellence and indeed it is, because this is where miracles are performed every day by a staff of caring and talented people that exist nowhere else in the world.

IMG_20141027_064645The walls are lined with photographs, autographs, and letters from heads of state, celebrities, astronauts, the Pope, and even a letter from Mother Teresa thanking the man that formed this company and the miracle that it produces for restoring their hearing. That  man’s name is Bill Austin and I got introduced to him almost a decade ago thanks to a business deal that never came to fruition related to a videoconferencing system with an otoscope envisioned by my friend Kris Koenig.

I never made that sale because right in the middle of the presentation I was making Bill Austin stood up and said “okay this demonstration is over”, and I thought I had done something terribly wrong. The real fact was Bill was tired of me not being able to understand his questions clearly and so he wanted to create some new hearing aids for me because he could tell I was struggling. That’s the kind of man he is. Back then technology for hearing aids hadn’t changed all that much. But they were a great improvement as were the ones that I received again in 2008.

Below are some of the photos on the wall and the letters on the wall at the Center for Excellence, a testament to their work. This is just one panel of dozens there.

IMG_20141027_114916

There are also dozens of photographs, no make that hundreds, of children around the world that have been helped by this man and the foundation he has started to spread goodness and the American initiative throughout the world.

Bill wasn’t in that day, he was off in Afghanistan fitting children who had their hearing damaged by the ravages of war with new hearing aids to help them in their own social isolations.

The amazing thing about Starkey Laboratories Center for Excellence is that they are able to build solutions right there on the spot.

And so after going to the tests, the pleading and bargaining over the design, the waiting began. They were manufacturing hearing aids custom to my problem, and with the latest technology available nowhere else in the world. Below are a couple of photos of the facility and the team of people who made this possible.

IMG_20141027_083511 IMG_20141027_081425

I was encouraged but was bracing myself for failure, hoping that these new hearing aids would not go into constant feedback in my ears, making them useless.

Nearly five hours later I had my new hearing aids. The most amazing part to me was that these tiny hearing aids that fit entirely inside my ear contained a complete computer and digital signal processing system. Like Windows they even have a bootup sound when you turn them on and a remote control and a direct to cell phone Bluetooth system that makes being able to hear on the telephone no longer a chore.

The next step was customization to fix the booming and the and the small spikes of pain from the extreme sound pressure levels that I had to endure from the powerful amplifiers. Everything is computerized now & tuning became simply a matter of a few mouse clicks thanks to Dr. Suma and her expertise. This is what my restoration curve looks like:

IMG_20141028_070550There was one more test to perform. We needed to find out how the new aids did to restore my hearing. The result is below.

 

IMG_20141027_131550Compare that to my original graph from the morning and you can imagine the elation that I experienced seeing that.

And so, with my solution complete, I went back to the hotel. Using the remote control I had been provided, I had to turn my hearing aids down to drive the car because the road noise was deafening. And when I got in the hotel, I decided the first thing I should do is celebrate a bit so I went to the bar to have a drink. It was there that I confronted my worst nightmare and my biggest test of whether these would actually help me or not: a tiny little blonde woman who was the bartender. She could not have been more than 5 feet tall.

The World Series game was on the TV and there were a lot of people in the bar and there was a lot of noise, and I dreaded the moment where I was going to have to speak to this tiny little woman because tiny women have tiny voices and tiny voices are often high-pitched and very difficult for me to comprehend. So, my test was on and she spoke to me and a miracle occurred: she asked me what I wanted and I told her I wanted a “Manhattan on the rocks” and then she asked me what kind of Bourbon I wanted it and I was able to say with pride exactly what I wanted. She returned a few minutes later with a drink and then asked me if I wanted to order something to eat and asked me if I wanted to hear the specials for today. For decades I’ve never heard what the specials have been in restaurants – they are just something that I waited for it to be over, but this time I heard them all. I thanked her, and read the menu and made my decision as to what I wanted. And I motioned her to come over when she asked if I was ready to order and I said yes and I proceeded to tell her what I wanted with some small modifications.

Now you have to understand that this normal mundane everyday event that most of you reading take for granted is something that would strike terror in my psyche every time I have to go through this. But this time something amazing happened, something I hadn’t anticipated. You see, because I couldn’t hear myself I’d always had this booming voice and to some people that booming voice was offputting even though it was great for being a broadcaster. Now, my voice is much lower in volume. And as I described my order to this tiny little blonde woman who was the bartender she leaned over to me and said “can you repeat that”?

This was a moment I’ll remember forever. All of a sudden the tables were turned, and I was thrilled beyond imagination to be able to repeat something for someone else. I knew then that a transformation that occurred and I made a short and simple post to my Facebook page via my phone. It read:

epic_hearing-FBAnd to my amazement dozens and then hundreds of accolades and comments started pouring in while I was sitting there at the bar. I began to cry and tears were streaming down my face. I was so happy and I couldn’t stop it because the weight and pain of the last 40 years were suddenly lifted from me. It truly was epic.

There were two people sitting at the end corner of the bar who looked at me and asked with concern, “Sir, are you okay?”  I proceeded to tell them what happened and I had a glorious conversation with two people who I had never met and I understood every word. They were thrilled for me.

I can’t begin to tell you what that felt like. And it kept getting better as I learned to be able to tune these new hearing aids to situations and it made comprehension even easier. The next day I posted this on my Facebook page:

epic_hearing-FB2I had feared that maybe this was just the temporary gain, but now nearly a week later my comprehension gains continue, and I am healed in more ways than one.

You see, the inability to hear on a daily basis during normal simple everyday things like ordering a cup of coffee at Starbucks or going through a drive-through to order food to take home to my family were challenges that I often failed, and it made me frustrated and angry all the time. This affected people around me and especially the people I hold most dear; my own family. Now all of that is gone and I’m like an entirely new person because of this transformation.

My ability to hear on the telephone has been transformed too. These new hearing aids have direct Bluetooth connections and so I am able to carry on a conversation using both ears with my cell phone. The fidelity is phenomenal and my comprehension is now nearly perfect where maybe before I could pick up 50% on a good day. This new technology is beyond what I could have imagined.

I had to share this with you because I know that this story will help people. While there are many good local hearing aid professionals in towns and cities around the United States and the world, the Starkey laboratories Center for Excellence is a place where miracles happen and one happened for me. I can imagine that almost everyone reading this has a member of their family or friends who suffer from hearing loss and they are afraid to deal with it or find it difficult to get the proper solution. I urge you to urge them to seek out a solution as I did. It is truly life-changing.

I spent several thousand dollars for this solution, and it is the best money I have ever spent. Don’t let the cost scare you if you need help, there are ways of overcoming financial difficulty and the results will pay you back ten-fold.

Thank you for reading. If you’d like more information please contact:

http://www.starkey.com/contact-starkey-hearing

http://www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org/

I will be off-line for most of today doing some work training some people on some software and for the first time in my life I look forward to doing it.

 

 

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804 thoughts on “How I got my life back – my hearing has been restored to near-normal”

  4. Congratulations!!!…. unfortunately now you will not only read but also hear (yes, hear not listen) to your detractors.
    Wishing you a long and lasting hearing health

  7. Magic. Probably the best ever post on WUWT. And that is saying something.

    We ain’t seen nuthin’ yet – just wait until you get into top gear!

  10. Congratulations and continued good hearing. I wish I could get my father to have his hearing enhanced but he’s just too stubborn and insists the world continue to repeat itself.

    • His case may not have been as life-long as Anthony’s.
      In general, hearing decreases as one ages, and depending on exposure to noise, the degradation may increase well past what is “normal” for aging..
      The loss may be significant, but because it occurs over time, one tends to adapt.
      Guess I’ll have to take my kids’ advice, and see a doctor in stead of continually asking “What did you say?”

      • Oops! Congratulations, Anthony, your story did more than share with us your good news, you showed us how to “make lemonade, when you get stuck with lemons”.
        In spite of your difficulties from childhood on, you didn’t let them hold you back-you started one of the most read, if not THE most read scientific blog; I believe that your surface stations project was a significant exposure of the fallacy of global warming cult
        I look forward to more good stuff!

  12. Excellent news Anthony! Very happy for you! But I also want to say that your trials, frustrations and pain have, in a way, brought about this site, which is a great feat few would have had the tenacity and focus to build up. I think your hearing loss was instrumental in forging that and, by way of being a foil to the corrupt and scientifically sloppy, makes the world a better place. Getting your hearing back is just desserts to that work.

  13. Out-freaking standing. This is an extraordinary read. I’ve been wondering what had been done to restore your hearing, and the glimpses into the professional and personal difficulties you’ve had to endure make the outcome all the more moving — those are manly tears on my cheeks. Welcome back to the land of the hearing, Anthony!

    • Yes, you adorable men-creatures, it is manly to cry sometimes.

      As one of those hundreds of folks who met you at a conference, Anthony, I am ecstatic. At least you could hear at all and we did have a conversation, though it was difficult.

      This article made me think: loud noises makes for deafness, and sounds have had to be very loud for you to hear them. That is why your hearing has kept getting worse. Do.not overuse your new miracle. I want you to enjoy this blessing as long as possible.

      This is the era of stem cells. Within 5 to 20 years, doctors will restore hearing in old pets by stem cells and when they get good enough, they will restore natural hearing in people like you.

    • I confess that there is a little moisture in my eyes as well.
      Must be all the staring at the computer screens.

      Congratulations Mr Watts.
      And enjoy hearing your family talk to and around you.

  14. Thankyou Anthony for your heart-rending, touching and finally joyous story!
    Welcome back, in every sense!

  17. Anthony

    As somebody heading down a similar but much less pronounced curve, I understand how you feel. Makes me continue to believe in happy endings

    Enjoy the new lease of life!

  18. Anthony, I am truly happy for you. Your story made my eyes water a bit. Congratulations and continued success.

  20. May God bless you.
    Anthony, enjoy each day and keep the knowledge that, both the technology AND the medical science
    will offer even better solutions in the coming years.

    Best Regards,

  21. Amazing story and a fantastic outcome…and I could not be happier for you, especially overcoming the challenges and stigmas. I had emotions welling up in me as you talked about the experience with the bartender. It was like watching the happy ending of an epic, dramatic film as tears fill your eyes.

    I can’t imagine what you have been through, but you clearly are a better man for excelling after jumping so many hurdles along the way. This is a story that will give hope to so many others in similar situations.

    Keep up the great attitude and great work Anthony!

  23. What is there to say about something like this except thank God, American innovation and your bride for not giving up.

  29. One of the most enjoyable posts I’ve read over the years I’ve been following Wattsupwiththat. Congratulations Anthony! I’m delighted for you.

  35. I’m thrilled for you.
    I’m also late with the good news. Behind Paul, Russell, Chris and 177 others. i must sign up to your Facebook page too.
    But this is about you, not me.
    Such wonderful news!

  36. Anthony, that is great to hear. And I do mean hear. My hearing is not as damaged as yours was, but it was in the range of I was spending 50% of my effort lip reading. The aids I had previously had were awful. I just did not bother to wear them because of that. My audiologist made the comment that “If I had those aids, I would not bother to wear them either.” Newest generation has made all the difference in the world. A long, long, long, long way from my Dad’s 1 transistor hearing aid glasses. Mine are still BTE, but the processing power in them has made all the difference. Also the fact that I got molds done so that I could shove more out the speakers without feedback.

    I have not walked in your shoes, but I do know the road. Enjoy stuff. Music is now possible for me. Before the distortion was horrid, no matter what I did with the equalizer on the computer.

    Hear, hear!!!

    • btw, you will love the bluetooth feature beyond your wildest dreams. You now have a set of wireless earphones for your computer/iPad/iPhone/etc. I spend most of my day listening to music at the machine now. No, the rock your gut bass is not possible with these, but it sounds dam better than it ever used to.

  37. What a blessing for you Anthony….well deserved. We have been hearing you well for years, now you can as well. Very happy for you

  42. i’ve been wearing hearing aids since college (about 20 years now) and just got new CiCs a few months ago. i’m sure you already know this but it will take a few weeks for your brain to adjust the new sounds you’re hearing. what model did you get?

  44. @Anth0ny
    “This is an extremely personal note…”

    Your work is important to the world, so it means a lot to everybody. Glad to hear (pun intended) it’s working!

  46. Congratulations!

    Your personal history illustrates that thing about God writing straight with crooked lines…

  47. Congratulations Anthony. Your news is wonderful. As a fellow sufferer of severe hearing loss, I certainly know and appreciate what you have gone through. So nice to learn that Starkey has an answer. Perhaps a trip to their location from here in the Toronto area is in order.

  48. CONGRATULATIONS! Now you can listen for “The Hum” which seems to be a big internet mystery, but is really just the dull roar/rumble of traffic in the distance. Good for you Anthony, I am happy for you, and thanks for what you are doing!

  51. Your story reduced me to tears. WUWT is my go-to site, and I spend more time online here than anywhere. I’m really happy for you.
    All the best.

  52. “… and I realized that this was my destiny.”

    Anthony, thank you for sharing that beautifully candid report of your WONDERFUL NEWS! I know, I know, lol, I DON’T NEED TO SHOUT!

    #(:))

    But, I AM! Because I am so happy for you!
    (and I’ve been praying for a long time!!!)

    Tears. There are so many people out there with tears that still need to be cried… . THAT was in itself a gift. Just wonderful.

    You, Anthony, in “{your} best suit with a stupid grin on {your} face,” are remarkably appealing. You have a gift.

    Q: Would WUWT be here, but for your hearing impairment?

    Alexander Graham Bell would not have gone into the research he did had his brother not been deaf… .

    God works in mysterious ways…. and, truly, “works all things together for good.”

    THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU ARE DOING FOR TRUTH AND LIBERTY!!!

    (and thanks for these neat blockquotes!)

    With love and gratitude,

    Janice

    P.S. Speaking of socializing….. pick a place and a time and let your WUWT friends meet you! You’re not all that far from San Francisco… . Some would even get on a plane. A “WUWT Holiday Gathering” (no host). Just a thought… .

    • It’s a lot of fun meeting people face to face when you’ve spent years communicating solely through the internet. I organized a meet for a few of my friends from bbs and it was truly delightful! SanFran’s a little far for us East Coasters, though, so I’m thinking…DC? :) Maybe we could all visit EPA headquarters or something…LOL!

      rip

  58. Fantastic news Anthony, so very happy for you.

    I understand the “anger”, it reminds me of the time I had back surgery to correct a nerve impingement that had caused me chronic and then acute pain for some 15 years. The joy of waking up from the surgery and to be pain free, to be able to play with my children, to not be permanently bad tempered, I’ll never forget it.

    Enjoy your new life.

  59. Good show. Will check out the Starkey links you posted, thanks.
    Am totally deaf in my left ear and 80% deaf in the right ear, Wear a large behind the ear Danalogic hearing aid. No remote control. Sounds like a good idea because I often want to adjust the tone. Biggest problem is tinnitus. Bit like a steam engine just behind me. Crowded conversations are not something I can join in.

    • Yes, what can they do for tinnitus? How can a hearing aid, no matter how sophisticated, help when the sound it produces is being overridden and masked by the tinnitus produced by the damaged cilia?

      • When I got my hearing aids, one of the main drivers for me was a vague hope that it could help reduce the intrusiveness of my tinnitus. Not sure that’s really occurred, but I do tend to notice it less when I have them in than when I have them out. (Completely anecdotal, highly personalized, and subjective data point.)

        rip

  60. At one point I was “profoundly deaf” too. After several surgeries, I can now “pass as normal”. It is a wonderful experience. Glad you get to enjoy it!

    Unfortunately for me, the damage to my hearing was physical. That has left me strongly dependent on ear plugs in high noise environments ( or I get a load of ringing in the ears…). So I completely understand that “Loud bar, no idea what they said the specials were, order something obvious like a burger and move on” moment.

    I learned to partially lip-read as a coping mechanism. It helps but is not enough. I also had one very positive result. I met my (then ‘future’) spouse in a sign language class. We’ve since had several such classes together.

    My hearing has since improved some (one day I noticed I was hearing key clicks and such again…) though hers has decreased. (I think eventually we will meet in the middle ;-)

    One concern I’d have for hearing aids with high sound levels is the potential for long term nerve damage… so enjoy them, but you might want to ration the use….

    Oh, and one other note: Tetracycline is still in common use (often to treat acne). It is just the use in kids that is cut back. Also several variant drugs like doxycycline are used (no idea if the hearing impact is changed) and I’ve used that in the last few years for rosacea.

    From one member of the (semi) Deaf Community to another: Congratulations and best wishes for a long lasting result.

  61. As someone with just minor hearing loss, I can still appreciate this wonderful development. Even minor loss can frustrate the bejesus out of someone in certain situations. Congrats.

  62. Wonderful news! Congratulations! But are you sure the antibiotic was tetracycline? Tetracycline has saved me on a couple of occasions years ago, so I got interested, but found nothing on hearing loss as an adverse effect.

    • http://hearinglosshelp.com/weblog/doxycycline-and-hearing-loss.php

      Information on the ototoxicity of many drugs is quite sketchy. Drugs in the Tetracycline family are no exception. Here is what I can tell you about them.

      The Tetracycline family of antibiotics includes drugs such as Tetracycline, Chlortetracycline, Doxycycline and Minocycline to name some of the more common ones.

      Often drugs in the same family have much the same ototoxic properties. Thus, if Tetracycline did indeed damage your ears, you could expect more damage from Doxycycline.
      […]
      Although Tetracycline and Doxycycline are not listed in the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR) as causing hearing loss, Minocycline is. However, we get a different story when looking through the Canadian equivalent–the Compendium of Pharmaceuticals and Specialties (CPS). There we find Tetracycline, but not Doxycycline or Minocycline listed as causing hearing loss.

      From that, it would appear that hearing loss is not a big problem with the drugs in the Tetracycline family. As you have already noted, the Tetracycline family is generally not thought to be all that ototoxic–at least to most people. However, there are a number of exceptions. Some people do indeed suffer from hearing loss after taking one of the Tetracyclines. I have had several people contact me in this regard.

      For example, one man had a severe ototoxic reaction to Tetracycline that left him with a severe/profound hearing loss in both ears. Another man took Chlortetracycline for a strep throat that left him with a permanent hearing loss. Yet another man took Doxycycline for a urinary tract infection and lost much of his hearing as a result. Still another man took Doxycycline for 10 days to treat his cold. He reported, “the hearing in my already-impaired right ear suddenly reduced to virtually zero and remains there.”

      So it happens, just not 100% of the time… (and folks wonder why I’m cautious about taking ANY medicine…)

      • Depending on when you are born, you may still be thankful that they were around. If I had been born 5-10 years earlier, I would not have survived childhood without the various cyclines, mycins, etc.

        Believe me, hearing loss in the event of death is permanent. We know better these days, so there better drugs for most stuff.

      • My father, an MD, was horrified in the late 40’s when he found that osteopaths (and others) were prescribing antibiotics for colds.

  66. Thank you so much for this great news! My grandfather had nearly complete hearing loss after surviving multiple bombing missions during WWII. I never considered how difficult these types of social situations must have been for him. I have my own struggles with tinnitus and am accused frequently by my wife of not listening to her and having the volume on the TV up too high.

    Thank you again for your work on the web page. It has made the biggest difference in this struggle against this global warming insanity… I believe that your efforts have made a large impact and have helped so many realize that they have to look a little deeper than what is reported by the media. I also credit your efforts to be at least partially responsible for the change in political tides we have seen nearly everywhere other than our homes on the left coast.

  67. Congrats! Spend some time just listening to your wife over coffee each morning, it’s a gift you can now give her. Did not know about hearing and tetracycline, thanks.

  68. Anthony,

    I am very happy for you as well as for other people who will benefit from this technology.

    My deceased wife was a Chinese audiologist. While in China she came across a poor Chinese couple who had adopted a severely hearing impaired child. (In the Chinese context, this was an amazingly generous and courageous act.) To save money for the couple, she suggested to a Chinese audiologist, who was treating the child that te child only be fitted with one hearing aid. To increase his profits, the audiologist insisted on installing 2 hearing aids .(A sickenly venal and greedy act.)

    I hope that that child and his parents will benefit from the technology that has helped you so much,

    JD

  69. Some of the sweetest music I know… for you, Anthony.

    “Romance in F Major” — Ludwig von Beethoven

    Beethoven was deaf.

    • Thank you Janice. 1,000,000,000 thumbs up. It so nice to see you posting again. You have been AWOL. You have been missed, by me at least, and I suspect others. If Anthony has an open thread this weekend I will write a comment about the FANTASTIC news of his regaining his hearing. I have [too] big an ego to join the cacophony of joy in this thread. One thing, however, I have noticed in this thread is the floating of an idea I have had for awhile. Simply a meeting in Vegas, maybe, of the WUWT regulars and old guard. I would move heaven and earth to attend. and I suspect you would. And I’m not a joiner.

      • Mister Stendera!

        Ahem!

        I responded ENTHUSIASTICALLY to your kind greeting of about 3 days ago here:
        https://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/11/03/monday-mirthiness-josh-on-the-ipcc-ransom-note/#comment-1778476.

        So very nice to be missed. How kind of you to say so.

        And how are: Libby? The birds on the railing? Schmidt? (ugh)
        #(:))

        I LOVE the idea of us all getting together… but, please, NOT Vegas — what a horrible place. And, besides, unfortunately, I could not realistically attend a gathering that far away. San Francisco, I could do.

        @EVERYBODY — Organize a WUWT gathering
        (all you need are: 1) Place: 2) Time; 3) “Hello My Name Is: __ ” sticker name tags (at any office supply store))
        in your part of the world and, if it is far from Chico, California, USA, raise the money to fly Anthony there!

        Guess my ego is BIGGER thank yours, dear Stanley Stendera. I’m not always available to participate in the weekend open threads, so, here I am!

        Take care,

        Janice

        … could you….. possibly…………….. ACKNOWLEDGE THIS?? (grr)
        #(:))

  70. Anthony, congratulations!

    A tremendously personal story, and one that highlights both the strength of the human spirit and the power of real, empirical, lab-based, repeatable, bench science.

    Thank you so much for being willing to share.

  72. What incredible news, Anthony!

    Congratulations! I can’t imagine what it must have been like to go through life being hearing impaired.

    I’m so happy for you!

  73. So happy to hear of your good fortune. I don’t know you personally, but love the work you are doing. God’s speed.

  77. Congratulations!
    LOL I remember leaving the audiologists and wondering if people in the offices along the hallway knew I could hear what they were saying. I felt like I was ease dropping.

    Again righteous news is righteous man.

  78. I actually originally trained to be a concert pianist before entering the atmospheric sciences (and before my current life in finance). This story shared here really affected me as I have also had a hearing loss, not as profound as what Anthony has experienced, but very frightening for someone who is still active in the music world. I can relate to the hating of the problem and the frustration – for example, I do not even bother to try and have conversations in restaurants because I cannot understand anyone and the repeated “What did you say?” questions get too embarrassing after time. Anyone with a hearing loss knows exactly what I am talking about.

    Thank you for sharing this Anthony. Since I already live in Minneapolis, I am going to pay a visit to the Starkey Laboratories and see if I can too get out of this not fun problem to have. A big fear of mine has always been how hearing aids can distort how music sounds – and seeing the technology here, maybe I can get rid of the fear now.

  79. Good for you, young sir. Thanks be to God for good and caring medics – and the technology they use.

  81. Anthony, I have been following your site for 3 years now. I think I have commented three times in the last three years. I really appreciate what you and the WUWT folks do and I enjoy the site tremendously. Congratulations on regaining your hearing. I suffer from pretty much the same thing you have experienced. It is extremely tough, especially when the ones you love get frustrated with you because you can’t hear. It’s tough to cope with. I may have to check into the Starkey lab myself…. Thanks for sharing!

  87. Thanks for sharing this really happy news.
    Enjoy rediscovering the world’s beautiful sounds.
    (But please keep blogging!)

  90. The work you do is so important to so many of us. I had no idea of the struggles you were going through. Yours is a great story and will help many people. Thank you, Anthony, for being a focal point for truth about climate, and for sharing your story.

  91. Hearing aids aren’t cheap, so “several thousand” doesn’t sound like all that much, considering, especially if it works as well as you say. I may have to take my dad, there, as I live just a couple of miles away from this place.

    What an inspiring story!

  94. That is just awesome news!

    So this last spring and summer, while I was working on the house during all the wet weather, off in the distance as the sounds of thunderstorms approached several wild turkeys would gobble at the thunder. I was thinking about you and how much you would enjoy that. Should your travels take you out this way during spring, you’re more than welcome to stay at my cabin and do some turkey calling. It is very addictive. I may not be around to be a guide, but you can go off in about any direction and find them, sometimes they strut in my yard.

  95. I have met many men whose lives and health have been saved only because the women in their lives insisted that they see a doctor. Congratulations to your wife on her ass kicking skills.

    My late father in-law was an artillery instructor in the Army, and an automotive engineer. Between the guns, cannons, and engines, his hearing was mostly gone in his later years. I wish he could have had something like this.

    Thank you for telling your story so richly and eloquently. It warms the heart and moistens the eyes. Your example, so movingly rendered, will help a lot of people.

    Hear, hear!

  97. I don’t usually (re: ever) comment, but I’ve been reading your blog for years. I’m sitting here, also with tears of happiness for you!

  98. Anthony,

    Your story brought tears of joy and sadness to my eyes. Your heart-felt vulnerability before the (not always kind) world in telling this story and the triumph of caring, talented people in lifting you out of your isolation… May this triumph not only enlarge your world, but restore some of what you have lost.

    Enjoy your new life and thank you for all you have given to us.

  99. As a person with reasonably good hearing your discussion provided a perspective that I could not possibly have imagined had you not chosen to share.

    I thank you for sharing this highly personal information. Your social stigma leading to the creation of this blog shows that much good can be created out of the most difficult of circumstance. We don’t all agree on all things but to me, this type of format helps prove that “communication” both sent and received is the key to solutions.

    I’m fairly spiritual if not religious, but have always enjoyed the saying that: “MAN PLANS, BUT GOT LAUGHS!” Interesting where life takes us. Thank you for sharing a bit of yours with us.

    Congratulations and wishing you the best!

  100. My dad’s hearing, destroyed by a lifetime of disease, accident, gunfire, aviation noise & heavy equipment use was restored in his last years by this technology.

    I hoped that this is what you were up to when you mentioned travel for a medical procedure. I hope your greater appreciation of the sounds of life will help make up for the decades you suffered without them.

    Thanks again for all you do & have achieved in life despite a debilitating disability that might have ruined a lesser man.

  101. What a wonderful story! It left me in tears, but tears of happiness for you. It makes me appreciate even more what you have done to preserve honest science. Thanks also for the useful information about Bluetooth. I have a wonderful set of digital hearing aids, but they are useless for telephones due to the position of their mikes. I will call my audiologist today.

  102. Congratulations Anthony! We need you whole and happy out there to continue spreading the truth of science!

  105. Fantastic news Anthony. I am really pleased for you, it must have been hell not to be able to hear “One Direction” clearly :)

  108. I am thrilled to hear this wonderful news. My heart aches for the trauma you’ve experienced, but fills with joy, at the wonderful news you’ve shared!!!

  109. I just forwarded this off to my in-laws. My father-in-law has not been able to hear clearly for years, and several different pairs of over-the-counter type hearing aids. He is more frustrated than ever.

    You story brought tears to my eyes and I am so happy for you!

  110. This is great news, both personally for Dr Watts, and for the rest of us in terms of his ability to be a more effective advocate.

  111. It’s interesting that you note that deafness is more socially isolating. My father was a WWII vet who was shot in the head fighting in the Pacific theater. He lost most of his vision and hearing, and what he did have declined over the ensuing years. His was a nerve deafness, and he could hear only a couple of tones. I learned to speak in those tones in a way he could understand me most of the time, but by the time he died, there were only a couple of people he could communicate with. I once asked him which was worse, being blind or being deaf. He said that being deaf was much worse for him. He noted “You know, Bill, being blind separates you from things. Being deaf separates you from people.”

    • being blind separates you from things. Being deaf separates you from people.
      Profound. Others can see that you are blind and treat you differently. They cannot see that you are deaf and that would never occur to them. Perhaps deaf people should wear big white headphones.

  114. Thank you for the good news and uplifting story. I am forwarding this (actually printing and mailing) to a dear relative who has profound hearing loss.

  116. Congratulations Anthony! What a wonderful story and a great ending! Hopefully meany others will see this and find their way to a solution to their problems.

  119. Wonderful story, Anthony.
    I am going to forward a link to your story to my son, Mark. He is with the Audigy Group in Vancouver, Washington. They work with audiology businesses around the country, and I think the bulk buy from Starkey. I know they work closely and support the Starkey foundation. They may contact you for permission to use your wonderful story.

  122. You showed yourself as a human being here, quite unlike the person who rejected my article because you did not like my English grammar. I thought for a while that this was so unlike the blogger I thought I knew that it could only come from your namesake, the Oxonian don. But I can see how your condition can put you in a sour mood about those upstarts bothering you. I personally have no hearing problems but my right eye cannot see clearly and as a result I have no stereo vision. This tripped me up in Amsterdam airport where they had a marble platform with steps coming down. To me the steps looked just like the rest of the platform until the ground disappeared from under my feet. I fell, hit my leg, and as a result acquired a hematoma in front of the leg. Double bad luck because the hematoma was caused by warfarin that I had to take daily. Stuff happens and I realize that this can sour you on everything else around you. Wish you good luck with the device. Maybe I am a grouch but I suspect that one week is not enough to know its long term performance.

  127. Absolutely wonderful! I’m so happy for you! I was crying for joy with you as I read! I love reading about hos technology profoundly helps people, it truly is amazing.

  130. Anthony, that is so awesome! I was an RF engineer at Starkey Labs in Eden Prairie from 2002-2005 until I moved to Texas (now live in Chile). We were just starting some of the wireless technologies for hearing aids back then. They are the best company I have ever worked for and I was very sad to leave but we were sick of the Minnesota winters (you know, because of all the warming). Bill Austin is absolutely great. He has helped so many people around the world over the years. I’m glad you liked the facilities. They were just finishing the ‘new’ part when I left. I will tell the engineers there that you had a great experience! They will be happy to hear that! Best, Mike

  131. Congratulations Anthony on succeeding in over coming a long term hearing issue!! What a struggle you have been through and how appropriate that you have finally had a great victory to celebrate!!

  134. Congratulations and the very best ahead to you and your family, Anthony. My (now deceased) F-I-L suffered profound hearing loss (served as a tank crew member in WWII), and my last living Depression-era relative, an aunt, suffers severe hearing loss. This is indeed such an isolating ailment, I am elated you have come across such a wonderful solution.

  135. Without your health you don’t have much. I am giving my father your links to the hearing aid people, I believe he has exactly the hearing loss you had and for exactly the same reason.

    Congrats

  136. Thanks for sharing. I’m sure there are at least ten readers who are happy for you and appreciative for your work for every one who leaves a reply. I have relatives in Chico; if I ever get to visit them, it would be an honor to meet you in person!

  139. Spending time on this blog was always a silent endeavor. While I benefited from your silence, it makes me sad to know the cost you incurred. Words fail me in communicating how grateful I am to you and how happy i am for you.
    Enjoy your miracle to the fullest.

  140. All you life you have had to work at listening – that skill and the profound humanity it has produced is abundantly evident in this blog. May the skill you learned in the darkness continue to guide you in the light.

  143. Magnificent! I work daily with the blind, perhaps one day for them too.
    My very best wishes to you Anthony and your family, who also have carried your burden.

  146. I’m very happy for you Anthony! I’m a Boilermaker too (Mechanical Engineering, class of 1986)…I met my wife there, and my daughter is now a student there. Best wishes for many years of good hearing!

    PS
    Go check out a good classical or jazz concert – I bet music sounds wonderful now.

  148. Terrific news … saw the headline and wanted to jump up and cheer the good news … now I can go and finish reading the details.

  151. Very happy for you, Anthony! My aunt’s first husband, who is only a few years older than me, was one of my best friends growing up, and he had a similar hearing loss path as yours for the same reasons. So I got to see that progression up close, and learned how to spell with my hands when we’d get stuck on a word.

    After he and my aunt divorced, he remarried and moved away, and I haven’t talked to him in some years now –I may ask my cousin (his daughter) how he’s doing and if he’s looked into these people.

    Oh, and Yay, Minnesota med-tech!

  152. A truly inspiring story, Anthony. That took a lot of courage to open up about! Well done & congratulations!

  154. Oh Anthony, that is so wonderful. My mother taught special needs children and she often said that hearing loss was the worst – just for the reason you’ve said: Isolation. Welcome back to the world!

  155. Sounds like Miss Indianapolis 500 was 30 years ahead of her time.

    Congratulations Anthony. It must have been most difficult as a child to lose your hearing.

  160. Me caen lagrimas de alegria. Abrazotes amigo Anthony y que Dios le sigue cubriendo con bendiciones. Los mereces!!!

  162. It’s all been said above so I’ll just say that’s a wonderful story, Anthony, and that I wish you many years of good hearing.

  163. This is fabulous news! A modern miracle. No, I take that back, it’s not a miracle. It’s the result of dedicated, intelligent people working with the best tools and equipment available to solve very difficult problems. It’s wonderful Anthony, welcome to the world of us noisy, yakking people. :-)

    • Quite agree. And I doubt this sort of result would have been possible without the industrial revolution and fossil fuels! More power to you, Anthony, in more ways than one. :)

  164. Great news Anthony! Certainly good to, uh, hear.

    You probably can’t hear the climate change any better though, can you? :)

  168. Congrats for you Anthony and thank you for this blog. It is my connection to right thinking people regarding climate and provides a link for me out of the social isolation of being a “sceptic”.
    My thanks again!

  172. YAY! I can imagine your elation. Enjoy!

    (From someone who has never heard a video on this blog, watches TV strictly in CC mode, doesn’t use drive-throughs, very rarely uses a cell phone, and whose favorite phrase is “Say again?” Maybe I’ll give Starkey a shot at my next set of aids. I’m w-a-a-y past due on my current set and never dreamed CIC aids were possible.)

    You’ve given me some hope and encouragement today. Thank you very much, Anthony.

  175. Most excellent news! Especially so since things looked so bleak. But we can’t see the future, and sometimes there really is a happy ending.   ☺☺☺☺☺☺

    Couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

    ☺░
C░O░N░G░R░A░T░U░L░A░T░I░O░N░S
░!░!░☺
    ٩(͡๏̮͡๏)۶ ღ♪*•.¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸.•*•♪ღ♪¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸.•*•♪ღ♪•*♪ღ♪
    ♪ღ♪*•♪ღ♪*•.¸¸¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸.•*•♪¸.•*¨¨*•.¸¸¸.•*•♪ღ♪•*ヅ٩(͡๏̮͡๏)۶

  176. Anthony, what a great story of overcoming adversity, with such a well-deserved conclusion! Having followed WUWT for a while, I was aware you had a hearing problem. Now all the followers of WUWT know “the rest of the story.” Like many of those who read this blog regularly, I feel that I know you, even though I have never met you. And so I rejoice with you at regaining your hearing!

    Beyond the personal story, is the story of technology solving the problems that technology causes. So don’t stop blogging. I would like to think that if so much money was not spent on CAGW, that some money might be available to look into why Tetracycline is ototoxic to only some people. Perhaps a simple genetic could be developed to identify those people.

  177. “…and my own self-worth suffered as a result.”

    Ultimately, this is the most damaging disability of all, imvho. Like many brought up in what’s called these days a dysfunctional family, I had very little self-esteem as a teenager and then into young adulthood. We all are in point of practical fact, what we think of ourselves, and for those struggling under the weight of poor self image, it’s just about literally impossible to find anything like happiness in life. Anthony, thanks so much for sharing your story in such a candid way. I too have overcome quite a lot though I never had physical problems, and you’re an inspiration to us all..

  178. That’s wonderful news, I’m so pleased for you :-) And thank you for sharing your personal journey, I’m sure it will help and inspire others.

  179. What a great, heartwarming story! Yes, tears of joy here as well. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person, and kudos to your darling wife for giving you the much-needed kick in the pants to go for it.

  180. Anthony, we are so happy for you – It’s truly wonderful that someone who has enabled so many to “hear” what had been missing from the global warming debate with your blog and online forum, can now hear the way so many of us take for granted – your story brought tears to my eyes – thanks for sharing!

  181. Thanks for sharing your story Anthony.
    Hopefully others that are similarly afflicted will read this and find hope.

  183. Congratulations Anthony! And thank you for sharing your story with your online community. I’m very happy for you.

  190. Anthony, first let me offer you my sincerest congratulations and well wishes. Your story is truly inspiring.

    Second, I’ve enjoyed reading WUWT for years and you have always struck me as a very detail-oriented workaholic – I wish I had half your dedication and energy. If you felt impaired before I can only imagine what a dynamo you must feel like now. And if your work was adversely impacted before I can only imagine how effectively you will be able to skewer the alarmist camp going forward. It almost makes me feel sorry for them…almost.

  191. Congratulations, Anthony. Coming from the land of the cochlear implant, I have seen the look of wonder when the deaf can hear. And you know what you have been missing. I hope it continues to amaze you.

  192. Anthony, I’ve been following your blog since you started the surface stations project which I did some programing for. I knew you had severe hearing loss, but didn’t realize how much it affected you. Your joy and relief at gaining back the ability to hear actually brought tears to my eyes. All the best.

  193. congratulations … considering what you have accomplished with your prior “disability” I look forward to seeing what you can accomplish with your new found ability to communicate verbally … if what you have done up until now was held back by your own reluctance to engage then the warmists should pray that God takes them before you do …

  194. Fantastic to hear of your success. As someone who is also experiencing a continually deteriorating hearing loss (inherited from my mother), I can easily associate with many of your situations, ones I’ve found myself in many times. Even with two hearing aids and continued improvement, crowd situations are definitely the toughest. As a funny aside, I thought it was a personality trait that I didn’t enjoy being in crowds until I found out the real reason.
    Likewise, being able to hear costs me thousands of dollars every few years but it’s something I’ve (partially) come to accept.
    All the best,
    Dale

  195. Thank you Stacey for sharing so much of your precious family time for Anthony’s efforts. It is very much appreciated! Best wishes to you and the Watts family.

  196. Taken for granted by many….good for you and your family!
    I am slowly losing my hearing, due to working in a sawmill (when i was younger), next to 10 blades cutting boards to various lengths, and the high pitch sounds they emitted. I now have 24/7 constant ringing in my ears and it is so loud at night when I lay down that I have a hard time hearing my wife beside me.
    So I am truly happy for you.

  197. Your story was a joy to read. My heartfelt congratulations to you and your success against adversity. Thanks, Anthony, for telling us your very personal story. It made my day.

  198. We all rejoice at this huge success for science to restore your hearing and your life, Anthony. I note that it was scientists not government that did this for you. The amazing thing to me, my friend, is that we were together two weeks before this big event and you handled yourself so well that I was hardly aware of your hearing loss. You are quite an amazing person.

  199. Anthony, Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. This is a wonderful, hopeful story you tell here. I’ve seen people retreat into themselves because of hearing loss, and give up almost entirely on any social life. Truly, it is as terrible as you say. If even one person confronting severe hearing loss is helped by this article, you’ll have done a good day’s work.

  200. Wonderful, Anthony: simply wonderful. I am so happy for you. I just wondered how you were getting on with music. Does it sound any better for you now? I do hope so! :-)

  201. Happy, Happy!!!! Anthony, what goes around comes around. It’s payback for the wonderful service you’ve provided to the community.

    • No – these are well made more powerful in the ear hearing aids with digital signal processors that change waveforms to make them more understandable. I was in very much the same position as Anthony with profound if not total hearing loss, and there was no way even behind the ear aids at huge volume were helping so like Seza above I have a cochlear implant and get another for the other side soon. They are a set of electrodes that are run into the cochlear from a circuit board under the scalp. That circuit board is linked by near field comms to a digital signal processor that hangs on your ear. The processor changes sounds into impulses that are then sent to the circuit board that then feeds them to the 20+ electrodes in your cochlear that make direct contact with your auditory nerve. You then have to learn how to hear with those. In my right ear I now have the hearing acuity of a 2 year old and discrimination of nearly 90%. Wonderful devices.

  204. Awesome! Good for you Anthony. Thank you for sharing some of your personal life, painful as it was. You are an inspiration to others with hearing loss and to everyone else quite frankly. Your story reads like a good book with a happy ending. Should be made into a movie. Who would play the lead?
    May God continue to bless you and your family.

  206. Dear Anthony
    This is great news and although you have been suffering from hearing difficulties most of your life this has not stopped you being a great listener.
    S
    Ps I am not Anthony’s wife :-)

  207. Congratulations Anthony and thank you so much for sharing your story with us.

    I knew that you had difficulties with hearing but I had no idea how severely you suffered.

    I am very, very happy for you.

    Steve Oak

    Consistent reader, occasional commenter, sporadic contributor, eternally grateful.

  208. I read a very good crime novel about twenty years ago called A Maiden’s Grave by Jeffrey Deaver, about a busload of deaf students hijacked by killers. It gave a great insight into the world of the deaf, which is completely differnt from any other physical impairment. There are reasons for that.

    Deaf people have a hierarchy, with those who were born deaf at the top. They are the best signers and lip readers. Those who become deaf later have an ‘accent’ when signing, so everyone knows where everyone else stands. A good book; I can recommend it for folks who like crime fiction.

  209. Congradulations, Anthony, on your escape from the affliction that hampered you.
    You have made a big difference in this world.
    Here’s wishing all the best for you.

  211. Having heard your booming voice in person, it’ll be a shame to lose it. Still, all I can do is whisper congratulations.

  214. Hit the wrong key. My daughter enjoys helping people and seeing the fruits of her training pay off for others.

  216. Sooo glad you were finally able to get this fixed, and thanks so much for the detail on the tech improvements (which detail is pridefully typical of your site) as I may require this someday.

  217. Brilliant news. It’s so easy to take good health for granted until there’s a problem.
    Hey, you can now challenge Mikey Mann to a one-to-one debate! Now that would be worth listening to…

  222. As someone with ‘hearing difficulties’ who is loathe to wear aids, but compromises by wearing one, I was uplifted by your story.

    Thank you, Anthony.

  224. Fantastic. I had lots of ear problems as a child and I can sympathize (in a small way) with your struggle. I’m thrilled for both you and your family, God Bless.

  225. Wonderful that you are hearing properly for the first time in your adult life.
    Just shows how stupid shutting down industry and tech. development to save us from evil CO2 is!!

  228. I’m delighted for you and your family. Like others here, your story squeezed some very uncommon tears from eyes that have seen a lot. My experience with hearing loss doesn’t come close to rivaling what you have been through but my life has definitely improved a lot after getting help. I finally got a pair of hearing aids about a month ago (it took my wife administering several swift kicks over a few years), although my hearing loss was more gradual and I am (I like to pretend otherwise) classified as an elderly person by anybody’s criteria.

    An ironic note occurred to me as regards your immeasurable contribution to the world through WUWT. So many people with excellent hearing don’t want to listen – to logic and evidence or remarks on lack of same or even to their own twinges of doubt in the Great (one-sided) Debate. I visualize them plugging their ears and saying ‘la la la la la’ and experiencing a deafness that is worse than physical hearing loss because they are delivering themselves as pawns in a serious game to destroy civilization that they don’t know is being played. And the note you touched on – the excellence of technology and what it can do to transform our lives. Your story underscores the confidence we should have in mitigation to deal with whatever life or climate or fill in the blank throws at us. Technology has never failed to deliver and some of the grittiest problems of all will be solved – but not by a broken civilization and economy.

  229. Wonderful news!

    Now, think of all the music you have to catch up on.
    I recommend the amazing orchestral sounds of Bruckner and Mahler. You have so much to enjoy ahead of you. Couldn’t happen to a better or more deserving man.

  231. Many many congrats Anthony! My grandfather suffered hearing damage from working for the FAA in their directional signal facilities up in the mountains of California and elsewhere for a number of years, and I know it was frustrating for him, so I have a bit of understanding of your happiness. May your hearing never diminish!

  234. Ad Astra Per Aspera….congratulations and best wishes!!!
    (To the Stars Through Difficulty)
    (I do live in Kansas, so the motto comes easily to mind)

  236. I’m delighted for you and your family. Like others here, your story squeezed some very uncommon tears from eyes that have seen a lot. My experience with hearing loss doesn’t come close to rivaling what you have been through but my life has definitely improved a lot after getting help. I finally got a pair of hearing aids about a month ago (it took my wife administering several swift kicks over a few years), although my hearing loss was more gradual and I am (I like to pretend otherwise) classified as an elderly person by anybody’s criteria.

    An ironic note occurred to me as regards your immeasurable contribution to the world through WUWT. So many people with excellent hearing don’t want to listen – to logic and evidence or remarks on lack of same or even to their own twinges of doubt in the Great (one-sided) Debate. I visualize them plugging their ears and saying ‘la la la la la’ and experiencing a deafness that is worse than physical hearing loss because they are delivering themselves as pawns in a serious game to destroy civilization that they don’t know is being played. And the note you touched on – the excellence of technology and what it can do to transform our lives. Your story underscores the confidence we should have in mitigation to deal with whatever life or climate or fill in the blank throws at us. Technology has never failed to deliver and some of the grittiest problems of all will be solved – but not by a broken civilization and economy governed by centr@l planning ldeolog*ues. Only a free society can do this.

  239. Well Anthony, I can only say, I know EXACTLY what have and are are going thru. I’m 42 yrs old, been deaf (50%) since birth ( sensoneural) and wear 2 BTE aids. Small, discrete and not many people notice. My job Anthony, is a pharmaceutical sales rep, one of the hardest sales roles going around and have been in sales for 12 years, I lip read a lot, the cluey Drs notice and generally people tend to talk as if all was ok with the world.

    Anthony, I’m not going to ramble on but I just want to say what a MASSIVE difference you must be feeling right when you walk around, the feeling of some sense of belonging in the hearing world, it would be easy to retreat back into your shell and pretend that no one will notice so I will say Anthony, a big congrats from me that technology has improved your hearing capability so far, wow, how good is the tech these days hey! 😃

  240. I’ve been a close follower of yours since about 2 months after WUWT began. WUWT has been my browser homepage all this time. You brought me to tears as I read of your elation moment in the bar. I’m very happy for you. Praise be to God! All praise to God for restoring your hearing thru the wonderous working of Starkey Laboratories Center for Excellence. They have done a wonderful work in this world. May God bless them.

    • Praise be to the scientists and technicians who have dedicated their life to the advancement of science! All praise to the scientists and technicians at Starkey Laboratories Center for Excellence. They have done wonderful work in this world.

  241. Great news, Anthony. I’ve worked with deaf and hard-of-hearing students for over a decade and am as well-acquainted as a hearing person can be with the problems faced when you can’t hear what’s going on around you. Congratulations and all the best.

  242. Wonderful!

    Anthony, I am SO HAPPY for you!

    I am forwarding your story to my wife’s father, who has also been dealing with serious hearing loss for many years.

    All the Best!

    Jim

  244. Congrats Anthony and many thanks for sharing!, yes I remember my Grandfathers hearing aid, a big black box on his chest, carrying the microphone and the 3 tube driven amplifier, ad to that the two enormous batteries, one in each pocket, every day his poor pants was fighting gravity..

    I wish You and Your family all the best, nobody I can think of deserves it more, many thanks for all Your work – Your story made my day even better, again Thank You for sharing!

  247. Congratulations. A very moving story and, as if proof were needed, it proves that we can improve the lives of individuals by ever better technology, not by going back to the dark ages of early death, horrendous diseases and misery. I am hoping for a breakthrough on Tinnitus next. Not as serious as hearing loss but very confusing in a crowd or a public place.

  248. Couldn’t be happier for you Anthony, sincerly, that’s such good news. Having lost much due to nerve damage from a broken blood vessel some forty years ago so I can just imagine your joy to be able to get even some of it back. Call that a blessing.

    On the tetracycline, thank you much for those words and that just may explain some constant ringing in my ears all my life since college when I was given that antibiotic a number of times, and yes, I do have some abnormal discoloration my dentist tells me as I get older. Never had come across such good information though I’ve never looked… I’ll check into that… thank you much for that mention.

    • I’d never heard of the connection with the use of tetracycline on teeth and hearing, I took it for over a year when I was a kid, it was used for acne. I’ve had ringing in my ears forever and thought it was from playing elec. guitar for many years(over 40), But it’s never changed much over the years, always there in the back ground.
      My teeth have been a horror show since the times after using tetracycline, and now in my 50’s I’m thinking of just getting them yanked and putting implants in.
      What a bombshell, but it all makes sense now.

      • Great news Anthony, that will be a very profound change in your life.
        I ‘ve known of the effect of tetracycline on teeth for a long time, usually discoloration (grayish). My friend has that from childhood use, she also has difficulty hearing deeper voices etc. It wasn’t until Anthony mentioned the cause of his deafness that I realized that her mild hearing loss may be related to the same cause.

  249. Anthony, you kid yourself. Do you think you are the ONLY person (male, “middle aged” adult) who is crying about this. I don’t have a hearing problem, but DANG, it’s hard to read the computer screen when you are crying buckets. THAT my dear friend and helper..is the length and depth and breath of the relation you have formed with your whole blog-a-sphere.

    WOW! This news MADE MY DAY…I’m afraid to make an airline trip on the 12th now, (I just scheduled)..because the TSA will look at this GRINNING IDIOT (ME!) and say, “Now, he’s suspicious!”…I’ll still be grinning then.

    Max

  251. This is wonderful news.

    My sincere wishes for your continued improvement.

    Here’s to the sound of rain falling outside, crickets on a Summer’s night, far off train whistles and all the rest that make it worthwhile to get up in the morning.

  252. Anthony, fantastic news and a heart warming story. Go enjoy the sounds out there; birdsong, surf crashing, children playing, a good tune and the voices of your nearest and dearest.

    Cheers

    Mark

  255. Brilliant. I dont know you Anthony and have only been on this site for a few weeks, but your story had me welling up!! My best wishes to you and your family

  257. Excellent news! For you and your family. For your wife who sees fruition from her “kick” and for your children! I am very happy for all of you.

  261. Thank you Anthony for your story. I am so pleased for you and this wonderful improvement in your quality of life. As an infectious diseases physician who spends much of his time trying to reduce the public’s exposure to unnecessary antibiotics I find it very sad that your hearing loss was initially caused by a likely well meaning but ill informed physician prescribing an antibiotic with a predictable side effect in a young child. I look forward to meeting you again and having a conversation uninhibited by hearing issues.

  262. Wonderful news! Thank you for sharing your joy and moving background story with your WUWT family.

  263. Anthony,

    Congratulation on getting your hearing back and thank you for bringing happy tears to my eyes. I hope this is continues to be a blessing to you and your family.

    Congrats!
    Michael

  267. Congratulations, Anthony! And let’s hear it for free market medicine!

    Such technological innovation will become rarer if the cancer known as socialized medicine continues to spread.

  270. There’ll be so many congratulatory comments that many will get lost in the sheers noise, but hey that doesn’t matter anymore as your hearing is now within normal range. Great news which I’m sure that many like me got quite emotional when reading your story and triumph.. I just hope that you’re mot so happy and content that you stop being a AGW sceptic !!!!!!! By the way : with these devices can you go to a concert for example and experience the dynamic range of a full orchestra?

    Anyway great news for you, your family and us I guess.

  272. Sorry, I also ‘welled-up-with-tears-and-a-lump in my throat’. Read every word of your hearing loss autobiography (more heart-rending – as we’ve all followed you since you started WUWT). Rather than mitigate, you waited 40 years until the technology was there. It’s sad that the very people we are trying to debate with on your site cannot wait until the technology arrives.

  273. Inspirational! Thanks for sharing it with us.
    I’m slightly concerned that without the frustrations, you might become more mellow!

    One day, in my lifetime, the Great Hoax will be fully exposed, and you will be in the hall of fame of those determined heroes, who worked so hard and so long to end it.

  274. Wow Anthony that is great news! So glad you have found that solution to your hearing loss.
    Great story I hope people who need the info get introduced to it through your blog.

  275. The breakthrough moment in hearing solutions was when miniaturized printed circuit assemblies, ASICs and software came together to provide a complete system. They are truly wearables of the best sort. In a way, small computers.

  278. I could not be happier for you! Some people say that the struggles you’ve endured made you who you are today. You chose to succeed. You’re an amazing example of how to thrive given the hand we’re dealt. My level of admiration for you is very high indeed!

  279. Let’s hope that some of the less respectful blogs are civilised (civilized) enough to share in your happiness. Best wishes
    David aka Otteryd

  280. Great news Anthony. Hearing is such a priceless gift in our life. As you would no doubt be aware, without it confidence can take a hammering. Imagine what goes through my mind when I see young people abuse it with their music turned up flat out! They are literally destroying something which can never be retrieved.
    Just recently a senior citizen was brutally punched simple because he asked a young man to turn down his music while travelling on public transport.

  284. Marvellous news Anthony! It is a wonderful thing that such gifts come from innovative people. I just wish the message would be registered by the public – that human innovation and creativity can solve terrible problems. We could do with more optimism in the world.

    God bless.

  287. On a related note, however, I’m wondering why you had to go through all this when you could have just cashed all those big cheques from the oil companies and had a super-efficient, micro-miniaturized advanced hearing mechanism created. I mean, you DO get big cheques from the oil companies, right? Like all the rest of us skeptics?

  288. Wonderful, Anthony!

    My grandfather was deaf (noise-related due to work in the 1920’s and ’30’s). Not as bad as you, I suspect, but he missed so much, as have you.

    I can’t tell you how happy I am for you; most of us never have a truely life-transforming experience (especially to the good), but you have. Bless those people for their work.

    When I get home tonight, I’ll hit the tip jar – hearing aids don’t grow on trees, and I’d be honored to help you with that “best money [you’ve] ever spent.”

    Congratulations, and thanks your wife for us. :-D

  291. How wonderful Anthony. You moved me to tears of joy for you while reading this. I hope you get to enjoy some time with your family soon. I guess Thanksgiving will be extra special this year.

  292. Congratulations on getting your life back. Go seize the fish, or is that seize the day? Anyway seize whichever will make you happier. ;)

  293. Really happy to read that! My mother has hearing problems, so I have some ideas about the relief it may be!

  295. This is just wonderful! You have been greatly blessed!
    The Starkey Lab deserves the highest praise for their achievement.
    I’m flabbergasted that they can take hearing which is 100dB down from normal and restore it.
    That’s a thousand times louder than before. Just keeping things intelligible with that amount of amplification has to be a major challenge. I hope their know how becomes much more widespread, because there are millions whose hearing is impaired less dramatically than Anthony’s and who can take hope from his example.

  296. That is totally spectacular Anthony, and I am most happy that it has brought you back to this planet.
    I have always wondered how I would deal with a severe hearing loss, and no more music.

    I have a somewhat minor but realistically not fixable loss of resolution in my right eye. Plenty of vision, but a coke bottle optical system (retinal); so not lens fixable.

    It has complicated my use of my cameras, so I am now quite dependent on Nikon, to focus for me.

    So I have always felt empathy for the vision impaired as well.

    So thank you for your inspiring tale, and welcome back.

    George

  299. Yes, I teared up when I got the part in the restaurant and you were able able to hold conversations with people. I know that is hard for people with even minor hearing loss.
    This is great news!!!
    I will forward this to my sister, who has had problems recently in that respect.

  302. What an inspiring story … this promising new beginning, and your history of finding the creative path through long-term, difficult,and limiting circumstances. It was lovely to read of the benefit of your early readings in church, training your public speaking voice. And so good of you to share your experience in this way, extending hand and hope. So glad for your whole family and this new day..

  304. Anthony, I’ve never met you but I still think this is up there with the best news I’ve had this year! So happy for you and your family.

  305. Wonderful news!

    You have hinted at something life-changing, and I suspected that it was to do with your hearing.

    Warmists/alarmists may well be afraid to hear this. If only they could be fitted with devices to enable them to hear the truth.

    All the best to you,
    jf

  306. Dear Anthony,
    I read your blog for a while now, your work is amazing and it taught me a lot. However, I’ve never left a comment before, but this time I can’t help it :). It takes a lot of guts to tell the story of your life and I admire you for doing that here. Nobody understands how important are our everyday abilites more than people who have lost them and got them back. I’m very happy for you and your family, congratulations!

  308. As someone with a parent who has had hearing problems since childhood and recently got some hearing aids that “really work” (as opposed to “work better than nothing I guess”) I can attest second hand how much of a difference it makes.

    Congrats on getting something that works Mr Watts!

    Cheers and happy listening to everything.

  310. Such lovely narrative – have just printed it off! My wife and I think your next career should be in literature! You have that ability! Congratulations (from New Zealand).

  313. Jeez, Anthony! That is fantastic… there is no better feeling than “hittin’ on all cylinders and purring like a kitten”. Also, when I found this blog years ago it took a couple of seconds to scroll down to post a comment, now it’s the pgdn key! Much love and respect to you and your family.

  316. Your story is great, and of great interest to me.
    A few years ago, I complained about ear ringing, and having trouble to hear conversations. But in fact, I’ve always have those trouble. It made me a recluse. Group conversations in noisy areas (like a bar or an indoor party) are impossible for me, as all I hear is a garbled sound. I cannot participate in any conversation. I can only communicate very close to people. And any noise around is intrusive. I work in total silence.
    So, I had my ears tested.
    At one point, the audiologist asked me “are you a hunter?” I was surprised, and I said “yes, but it had been almost twenty years I did not shoot guns. I did a lot of shooting in my late teens and early twenties, which was when I noticed earing reduction.
    She told me that I have my left ear damaged around 4kHz and that makes the consonnant very difficult to hear. Left ear is worse because I am a right-handed shooter and therefore, my left ear gets a more direct blast. Apparently, this is a very typical earing degradation from shooters. She knew right away.

    And this hearing problem made me a hermit. I am not in my early fifties, and I dread going out and meeting people in social context. My earing loss is only 20%-30%, but plenty enough for me to find it quite laborious to interact with people.
    And considering your hearing loss, I can barely imagine how difficult it had been for you, considering the significant impact of my own minor impairment.

    I am wondering if that device will not ultimately hasten total surdity, because of the overstressing of the remaining hearing structures. Do you have data on that?

    Regards!
    JFA

  318. Oh, and BTW… In those days, wearing hearing protection while shooting, in rural Quebec (province of Canada) was only for wimps… Even my father, an MD, considered it some expensive indulgence when I bought myself earing protection in my last few years of frequent sport shooting.

  323. Lovely account Anthony,

    Just bloody lovely.

    The part in the bar reminded me that the most deleriously happy man I have ever seen was in a bar (in Basingstoke) who was a workman absolutely caked in mud and wearing a hardhat that had been peeled open exactly like an apple peel. Happy actually fails to describe what I witnessed….

    When I asked him why he was so happy he said that this was his favourite hardhat………..and that he was wearing it when the steel caterpillar track of the crane rolled over his head during a workplace accident….

    It would be MY favourite hardhad too I feel….

  325. Anthony. I’m so happy for you. I had the pleasure of hosting you in Townsville on your visit to Australia a few years back. I understand your joy as I understood your difficulties. So much so you thought my name was Nigel which I accepted with good grace.

    You must know that many of us consider you a hero and those that meet you a saint. Good luck with your new world.

  328. So happy that you have overcome your physical problem. I say overcome because it has been your attitude, determination and desire to forge ahead that has brought you to where you are today. And we all thank a higher power that you have come into our lives. Perhaps there was a greater plan for you after all.

  333. Anthony, you are a man that I have respected and admired for many years. Whilst I knew of your hearing difficulties, I had no idea of the severity and the tremendous burden you have (quietly) shouldered throughout your life.

    What incredible news you have just shared with us. It couldn’t have happened to a better, or more deserving person.

  336. I also suffer from hearing loss. Even my moderate hearing loss is a big challenge without the use of hearing aids. I agree completely that hearing aids are a technology that can change you life. Enjoy!

  338. Wonderful news. Congratulations. Having read through about two-thirds of the comments (so far), it looks like you are, indeed, already helping other people with similar hearing losses. I am frequently amazed at the amount of time and energy you put into this website, in addition to your regular job and other activities. Thank you again for all you do in the battle to regain some sort of sanity in the ‘climate wars’ and to maintain an atmosphere conducive to civilized debate.

  340. Congratulations on your hearing recovery. And thanks for sharing the story so that as many of us age and lose our hearing, we know there is hope and where to find it!

  341. Powerful Anthony!

    You are a gifted man who adapted to his hearing loss, becoming a great communicator in a realm where hearing is not critical to success. Now you have your hearing too.

    Great story/lesson for all of us that take so much for granted. Thank you.

    This will set record for most comments ever at WUWT.
    Congrats!

  343. Congrats Anthony. Metaphoric high five heading your way.

    Myself…..one too many rock concerts in my youth….. Foolish younger me….I used to take it as a point of pride that I couldn’t hear for a couple days after a show (kicks self in tush for that gross stupidity). Only when in my 20’s did I start to take one ear plug, cut it in half, and use those half plugs to “take the edge off”. Now, I wish I had done that from the very first show. Like JFA above, I have trouble when there is background noise, but I can still function reasonably well, so I managed to quit being a fool before it was too late. Nowadays, it’s plugs AND muffs when using a chainsaw or taking target practice.

  344. What a great story, It literally brought tears to my eyes thinking of the pain you have had to endure because of this malady. You have been so important to many of us who needed an outlet to express our frustration at the lack of hearing of the scientific community on this issue, and the work you have put into understanding what’s happening with the climate. The Climate “Scientists” who subscribe to CAGW are deaf or hard of hearing on purpose, purposely ignoring indisputable evidence that things aren’t quite right. That’s inexcusable. Our scientists should always be the most open to skepticism and be certain what they say is scientifically defensible. Their deafness is a crime whereas your hearing problems were a crime against you.

    New technology is in a massive disruption right now and the idea anyone thinks they can predict what our problems will be 100 years from now is laid bare by the improvements you have benefitted from. We have learned how to shape waveforms to make them more intelligible to your ears, how to do what evolution learned to do. 10 years ago nobody thought we would find so many billions of barrels equivalent of natural gas right here in our own backyard. 10 years ago nobody would have imagined a tesla electric car possible. I am astounded by people who look at our future so grimly when the evidence is that man has reduced the death rate from natural disasters by 98% in 100 years. Who can possibly believe the future gets worse from a couple degrees even if it did happen? I hope you live a long time and continue to be able to comment, work and watch the unfolding of the Global Warming Models demise and beyond to 2080

  346. Awesome. So happy for you, sir.. And thanks for the information! I developed almost total hearing loss in my right ear several years ago and have yet to deal with it. The Dr. diagnosed it as sudden “asymmetric hearing loss”. I am starting, also, to notice some loss in my other ear. I will keep your post in mind and save this page.

  348. Previously, I was chief meteorologist for 11 years at our local ABC affiliate here in Evansville IN and can imagine that most of your presentations weren’t preceded, or followed by much on air banter with others in front of the camera.

  349. Congrats. My question is if you are pumping that loud of a sound into your ears doesnt that just make it worse?

    I have tinnitus. And if I were to do that it would make the ringing worse…

    Brant

  351. It’s hard to explain the isolation one feels when normal conversation is difficult or impossible, especially in large group social situations. I’m glad you’ve found relief from that, although you have led an extremely productive life.

    Enjoy your new hearing, you deserve it.

  356. Awesome story Anthony. I have some hearing loss and tinnitus but I can still pretty much hear most things….higher end stuff not ad much. My tinnitus is about same frequency as a typical cicada. I live in the twin cities and if the need ever comes where it gets ‘bad’ I will certainly visit Starkey. That’s one good thing about living here, and there are many minus the winter cold…but that is a very diverse workforce and business climate…and the lake country is serene. 😊 congratulations on the hearing fix, the story brought tears to my eyes. 😌

  358. No-one is more deserving of this gift from modern technology than Anthony Watts. Imagine for a moment the positive effect that might have been, had a billion dollars a day been spent on worthwhile things rather than pissing it up the post of fictional ‘climate science’.

  359. Congrats!!!

    It’s so hard to explain to those who don’t struggle with hearing loss just how huge an impact it is on daily life. I’m pretty social (or was) but now it’s difficult to really enjoy being out with friends and family cause I know that struggle I’ll have to understand them…and that’s WITH correction. I’m in my mid-30’s though, so I have hope that someday I’ll see medical science provide a physiological / neurological solution (regeneration hopefully).

    Again, I’m so happy for you! Here’s hoping and praying that you continue to hear the benefits of correction!

    rip

  360. Thank you for sharing this Anthony. I think this is one day when us silent lurkers come out and express our appreciation for the work you are doing. Long may your new found happiness continue!

  364. Congratulations Anthony, I hope you enjoy your re-integration. And thank Stacey for lending you to us.

  367. Oooh Anthony,
    I understand social isolation resulting from physical limitations……
    I am overjoyed for you!
    May God continue to bless you and yours,
    Mac

  368. I see I am not the only chap here who seemed to have something in his eye as he read…

    OK, apart from the sounds of family and friends, you now need a diet of birdsong, Bach and Vivaldi. You have serious time to make up, and have fun doing it.

      • Years ago; make that many years ago, I was in Chicago for a tech conference. We went out for a beer in the eve, and stumbled into this bar just off the loop. Blighters wanted to hit us up for a cover charge, in the form of a three drink minimum (even if you didn’t drink them). I did drink two but coughed up for the triple.
        Well they had to pay this dude twinkling on the old piano keys.

        They said the guys name was Oscar Peterson.

        Cross my heart! I swear we just stumbled in off the street. Who’d believe a yarn like that ? But it’s true.

        Well damn, I also went to a St Louis Cardinals bezebol game, same time frame. They said the pitcher’s name was Satchel Paige. Musta been 125 years old.

    • Funny you should mention birdsong. After my dad finally got the hearing aids that worked for him it was one of the first things he said he noticed on his morning walks.

  370. Reading here day after day for years now I knew about your hearing impairment, so was worried about your post from last week when you said you were heading out to deal with a long standing personal medical issue, my fear was that you weren’t going to be able get improved help or that it was only going to get worse. Kept looking for update and now finally, this fantastic news!

    Congrats Anthony, nothing could be sweeter than someone as deserving as you getting this sort of basic ability restored. Very happy for you, and yes happy tears are flowing.

  374. Exactly how I felt when I finally got my aids too Anthony. The world suddenly opened up, I could hear my children clearly for the first time, even the wind in the trees.
    May your life continue to expand.

  377. Dear Anthony, I’m happy to read about your good fortune!

    Your plight resonated with me on two fronts: as a long time professional musician I am aware of what a gift the sense of hearing is. However, as someone with high functioning autism, I am all too aware of how lonely and challenging life can be for those of us who are “socially isolated”.

    I do hope that you can take time (just five minutes) out of your busy day to sit and truly enjoy the marvellous sounds that surround us, especially the little ones that I suspect so many people never really notice: the rustling of your clothes, the creaking of an old chair as you shift your weight, the sloshing of a near empty milk container, and perhaps the sweetest sounds of all, the symphony that is the day in the life of a small child.

    Enjoy.

  380. A truly moving story, I’m absolutely thrilled for you Anthony. You are right in saying that most of us can’t comprehend what the loss of a major sense would be like, as a music lover I often think about how my life would be diminished if hearing was lost. I do, however, know only too well how life changes for people when they lose major senses- my daughter went blind aged 13. Now I live in hope of technological breakthroughs to restore at least some of her sight. I wish you all the best in your new world of normal hearing, and remember, with your remote control, you have an ability most of us lack (apart from selective deafness when our wives talk :)): to turn your aids off or down should you encounter something you don’t need or want to hear.

  381. What an incredibly touching story, thank you for sharing.

    I am sure many will be reflecting on what a blessing it is to have hearing, something most of us take for granted.

    Your story certainly helps put my first-world problems in perspective. Thank you.

  384. Congratulations, Anthony. I’m really happy for you. As a person with a serious hearing problem (in one ear), I can relate to your story all too well.

  386. Congratulations Anthony, a momentous occasion indeed.

    But might I add, a big thumbs up to Stacy, for giving you a big kick in the ass instead of walking out the door? Others might not have been so patient and understanding, and a less sensible man might not have taken the kick and run with it.

    So congratulations also on having a wife who really loves you.

    Enjoy it all, the rest of your days. You deserve it.

    Susan

  388. Congrats – you will find you continue to improve as time goes past. I too have been crippled with arthritis for years, but too young for hip replacements, and or not crippled enough, finally reached the stage of being wheelchair bound, developed DVT, and pain not being managed without using a morphine based painkiller, which disagrees with me big-time. Finally hip replacement done. Ditched Endone at 7 days, Panadol at 10 days, felt better than I can remember in many years. Dr has agreed to replace left hip in next few months, not looking forward to surgery, and 3 -10 days post surgery, but looking forward to results. Congrats again, the joys of modern medical science. My Dr who specializes in hip replacements, is working on growing bone in a laboratory, in which I was asked to contribute, and I believe he is making progress. I understand that he is working on future hip replacements with your own bone.

  390. So happy to hear the news. I knew you had hearing issues, I have no idea of the extent. Great to hear (I keep using that word!) the update.

  393. A – Thanks for posting this. My hearing graph is a different shape, and only as extreme over half the range, but I’ve been told a hearing aid won’t help. I do need something like this. So this post has been very interesting and potentially very helpful.

  396. Anthony, you, who have given so much to so many for so long — really do deserve this. I am so happy for you and for your family!!!!!

  400. Wow! Thank you for your powerful story, Anthony. All the best in your “voyage of discovery” and the joy of newness !

  402. Awesome, Anthony!. Very happy for you, and your family.

    This shows what good, moral, brilliant men and women can accomplish when using science properly – as a tool for mankind’s true welfare, not for warped political reasons.

    And, through your various trials you have become a very wise man who can now greatly help others. You were always intelligent, but you have also become wise through your suffering. That combination is hard to find nowadays. You have much to teach us, and not just about climate science.

    God bless you!. And, as always, thanks so much for the courage to run this site!

  403. Anthony, congratulations on your wonderful news – plus, with your remote control, I guess that you can turn things off when you need peace and quiet!

  406. Thanks for the testimonial of your struggles Anthony. I especially appreciate your gift from the Starkey laboratories Center for Excellence. I’ve known you for years, and although we have never officially met, we have had small talk conversations in the past. In 1988 to 2000 I was an assistant manager at Pizza Hut on East 1st Ave. You came in often for a personal pan pizza and a one trip salad bar. If you even remember, I was the loud wiry skinny guy, many often wondered if i was on speed or coke.

    I left to run the new DELCO ( all delivery and carry out store) on Walnut. Eventually I manged the New Pizza Hut in the Albertsons Shopping Center before being transferred to Reno. Well, you switched Pizza Huts and always came into the Albertsons Pizza Hut for your salad and personal pan. We again chatted small talk, I was always impressed by your shyness and how you seldom talked to others. Now I know

    Fast forward to 2009, and I began writing for Jack Lee and Tina Grazier of Posts Scripts. Eventually I began writing my own blog with NorCal blogs (GATE).

    All my life I too suffered from hearing troubles, but in my case i was never diagnosed and never tried learning the truth. I too have lost out on many things in life due to my inability to understand the things being said around me. Especially in groups of people, and bars with music or games on television are the worse. I could tell you horror stories of arguments, and fights I would get into because i misunderstood what someone said. I’m the guy who is satisfied with the quality of music I get from an am radio with a busted speaker, because new ones sound no different to me.

    I finally had my hearing tested a few months back, and was told that my hearing is OK to a point. That point comes where at a certain tone it drops off. Well, as the DR told me, it didn’t just drop off, it disappeared. Yup, it’s gone, doesn’t exist, and I am not sure if it ever existed. I asked what they could do, and he said nothing. He said they could help if anything at that tone was present, but they cannot improve upon nothing. I mean, i can hear, but it’s like a dot matrix printer that is missing certain dots. So when you look at a printout you get that white line across the page at every other line or so.

    Regardless to say, I was left with the feeling that I must just live with what I have. Or don’t have. I guess one bright spot is that when my wife accuses me of not listening, I can hand her the printout from the hearing test that proves I really can’t hear her at times.

    All this to say that I will look into the Institute, although I doubt I could afford it, and doubt I would ask for help financially to get it. Who knows what tomorrow may bring us. Today i bask in the glory of the historic Republican win, tomorrow I may be able to see if there is something for me in that blag bag of tricks from the Wizard.

    Much longer than I expected this to be. I probably wrote it for myself to read since i doubt anyone else would care.

    God bless you Anthony and it truly is a blessing to my heart that you can finally hear, and speak softly while doing so.

    Chuck Ness

  407. I am glad for you Anthony. Thanks for sharing. You have been a formidable advocate for sound climate science even with the hearing impairment. What you have done is far from easy. Now with you at 100%, who knows…

  408. Congratulations Anthony, I too have a large hearing loss that was recently repaired with Starkey CIC aids, having previously had some other somewhat ineffectual aids that made me despair of ever hearing properly again. This new generation of aids truly make a great difference.

  411. Anthony,

    This was truly inspiring and a thoroughly enjoyable read. You have given an incredible account of how valuable the simple things in life are, like hearing the world as it is, not just seeing it.

    The Starkey Laboratories are also a prime example of what can be done with vision, dedication, skill and no government funding required. People solve problems. Bureaucrats don’t.

  415. I’m very happy for you and yours, Anthony. I’m also happy that so many others have taken the time to say much the same thing. You’ve been doing something very right.

  417. As a former audiologist who had developed his own hearing loss, I can appreciate both sides of your story. You went from a pure tone average of 92 to one of 32, with a probable speech reception threshold (SRT) of about 25. Even though my hearing isn’t quite as bad as yours, I can readily understand how you felt. I’m happy for you. And I sincerely appreciate your efforts on your site; it’s my absolute favorite.

  419. I am very Happy for you Anthony, I wish nothing but Happy Hearing for the rest of you life.
    You story brought a few sad and happy tears out in my eyes.

  421. I feel touched by the way you dealt with your disability, never gave up, adapted, kept going against the bad news. Fantastic! You are an important figure in the field of the analysis of climate facts, we thank you for that, and you are also a guy who’s able to tell people very personal and difficult stuff, a good pal! Thanks, man!

  423. Hi Anthony

    I recently hung around outside the Victoria Rooms in order to meet you after the Mann talk. Sorry to be a bit of a stalker/groupie, but it was (probably) a once in a lifetime opportunity to thank you in person for the marvellous work you are doing.
    Later, in Channings, I did find myself thinking how it was for you as a gentle hubbub of several conversations filled the air. I have had a small glimpse, at least, of such difficulty, having suffered from cataracts in both eyes, so I felt for you then.
    And I can also appreciate the joy you must be feeling, as I experienced such joy when my eyes were fixed, and the world returned in dazzling technicolour.

    So, a message from downtown (currently a bit chilly) Brizzle . . .

    Bloody Marvellous!

    Cheers

    ChrisD in Bristol

  424. Congratulations, Anthony. I’m so happy for you and your family.

    Thanks for sharing your story. It made for a great start to my day, albeit with tears and sniffles of happiness. You’re an inspiration.

  428. Another well-deserved congrats, Anthony. As impressed as I am by the new technology, I must admit that is not the most impressive thing I find in your story. It’s you. Despite the handicap and associated problems, you persevered. You found ways to cope, achieve success, and lead as normal a life as possible. That is so refreshingly different from the hordes of people who do not try, and blame their failures on “the man”, a bad childhood, racism, etc. I am happy that someone of your integrity can now enjoy even more of what life has to offer. Thank you.

  431. Anthony,
    May you enjoy this as much as I do! If you have access to a good 5.1 or 7.1 ‘sound system’, sit down in the acoustic sweet spot…. and just enjoy!

    Stevie Ray Vaughn – Riviera Paradise

      • Right on! Add I also recommend you add “Lenny”, on “Texas Flood”, to that recommendation (what became Riviera Paradise on “In Step” was originally the introduction to “Lenny”)…

  432. Thank you for sharing your story, Anthony! And, thank you for sharing yourself, your family and your training through this website, we are all indebted to you. This is, without a doubt, the best scientific-based blog on the Internet, and your story gives great meaning to how WUWT came to be. Very best wishes and congratulations, Charles the DrPH

  433. I am very happy for you. And share a bit of your sorrow. I took tetracycline for a number of years and it created a tinnitus storm in my ears. The results are I am nearly tone deaf, fear high pitched women, don’t enjoy music as others do, can not understand people in any noisy environment and now have progressed to the point I am requesting people to repeat things so frequently I must get aides. On top of that I am a college professor so I need my hearing acuity badly. Your post has given me the clinic to go to as I am only 3 hours away! Thanks.

    But the down side to this is, if you are like one of my friends, the great outdoors, the children, those diminutive women, music, birds, wind and rain almost all those subtleties that have been missing in your life will begin to dominate your time and NOT WUWT! So I am preparing myself.

  435. Thank you for sharing your story! It is a reflection on your profound honesty and humanity. Interesting that you are the most responsible for people “hearing” the truth about AGW.

  437. Best post ever! I cooked BBQ chicken tonight….BBQ sauce all over my keyboard now…..couldn’t stop reading. Keep up the good work and Congrats sir. :)

  440. Anthony,

    I was part of the audience at your Perth lecture. I have followed your news site for a long time and my understanding of the world has been enriched as a result.

    I have struggled with hearing loss for about 30 years, with a gradual decline almost to the point of needing a second hearing aid. I can understand your joy at these miraculous things technology can bring us. For me it was as basic as hearing oncoming traffic from both directions as I crossed a road.

    regards
    Graeme

  443. When I started your post, I just assumed you had gotten a cochlear implant. No, to my surprise, it’s an high-tech hearing aid! Either way, it is a blessing to live in an age when such marvels are even conceivable.

    In the 19th century, the watchword was Progress. Somehow, especially with the rise of the pseudo-scientific negativity that pervades ‘green’ politics, we seem to have lost that ideal. But the success of your friends at Starkey Laboratories makes it clear that not all have lost the impetus, that we have only begun to climb the ladder toward the heights which human civilization can reach.

    Congratulations, and welcome to the world of sound. I cannot think of anything more richly deserved.

    /Mr Lynn

  444. Best WUWT article ever. Thanks for continuing to share your struggles, your journey and your triumphs. While this site deals with a very negative subject, I continue to find real and encouraging, often uplifting stories. And the purveyor is an honest down-to-earth human being, unafraid to speak to (and share) his weaknesses. Bravo and give us more!

  446. Glorious news Anthony!

    Thank you for taking sharing. You made a grown man cry with such intimate details of your difficulties with hearing loss. It has really helped me understand the impact. Then I was choked up again when reading the goodwill and genuine affection in the comments from those in the wonderful community you’ve created. (Is it just me?)

    If it wasn’t WUWT, the story sounds so incredible: Starkey Labs? Meets with guy and tailors a new type of hearing device that restores hearing? Really? Sounds more like the opening sequence to the next Iron Man sequel. Amazing!

    I was so struck by the reaction you received from Starkey Labs to this exchange:

    “But I wouldn’t accept no for an answer, and I pleaded with the consultant, Neil, to create new hearing aids in the style that I was currently wearing.”

    Rather than resist your challenge, (dare I say, dismiss you for being in denial) Starkey Labs embraced your concerns and took on board your comments as new information to drive a great outcome. It is a wonderful example of what can be achieved by genuine care, open enquiry and honest application of the sciences. No surprises they are leaders in their field and an example to all organisations.

    I hope for the very best for you and your family, enjoying your new lifestyle in the future and thanks again for the sacrifices you have all made over such a long period of time.

  447. Holy Cow! Holy Cow! Holy Cow!

    They was dancin’, they was singin’, they was movin’ to the groovin’
    And just when it hit me, somebody turned around and shouted
    Play that funky music, white boy
    Play that funky music right
    Lay down that boogie, play that funky music till you die!

    Play that funky music!

    And you made it happen, just the way you always do.

    Nobody, noBODY, nobody beats the rev!

  448. Congratulations Anthony. Inspirational. My hearing has been going downhill fast for the past five years, I cannot even carry on a phone conversation anymore, and I think its beginning to annoy my family. After reading your story, I think I should really address it.

  449. Four years ago, at the age of 42, I learned that I have a gluten sensitivity that caused a life-long inflammation of my ear canals and inner ears – my hearing was about 65% of what it should have been, and many frequencies were nonexistent.

    My hearing has returned now that I’m off gluten, and I can attest that it is life changing. It’s hard to explain how debilitating hearing loss is. How frustrating.

    Congratulations.

  452. The simple things that most of us take for granted…

    I’ve been a musician my entire life. I’ve often thought that if I was ever forced to choose between my hearing and my sight, I’d spend the rest of my days cursing about tripping over things…

    Thank you for sharing this, Anthony, and thank you even more for being the kind of person who in spite of a life-long challenge like this, has the grace under pressure to be the person you are, and create a world like this at WUWT, where the brilliant, the obsessed, the curious, the ingenious, the lame,ignorant, resplendent or wretched and even the Alarmist—and thanks to technology, even the deaf or blind—may all visit and equally learn, opine, or simply observe…hopefully learning something, even if it’s got nothing to do with science…

    …but everything to do with hope.

    Please accept my sincere congratulations on your recent good fortune!

    p@

  453. Congratulations Anthony…..a wonderful story. Keep up the excellent work. In many ways you have changed our lives also

  456. Hurray! Congratulations, Anthony. I’m very happy for you and even got a couple tears of my own reading your story. Sending prayers and best wishes…

  457. My Grandma on my Mother’s side was profoundly deaf she learned the Bell Method.
    congratulations, sir..

  459. We have all read of your difficulties with this aliment as we followed your site, but Anthony, I am sure no one had any idea how debilitated you were. I salute you for your reserve in not divulging the extent of the problem so as not to appear to complain too much, but only to explain how it had “interfered” with your activities. What enormous composure. (I, on the other hand, am the type that hollers over any bad luck!) Your are a stronger person than I. I admire your perseverance and am thrilled your were able to achieve the life-changing break-through. Best of luck with a continuing recovery.

    My MIL is going through the hearing aid process right now and not because she couldn’t find a solution but because she didn’t want to admit she had a problem. This is the total opposite of your ordeal, but in both cases relief is gained. Yes, technology is wonderful.

    Keep up the good fight.

  460. Good on you Anthony, that’s excellent news. Technology can certainly improve quality of life. Despite what we continually hear from the media, we live in a wonderful age.
    Keep up your great work.
    Ken Stewart

  462. Anthony, I hope this post goes viral on the interweb! I’ve done what I can to make sure that anyone who reads this forwards it to as many people that can use the information you’ve provided. Too many people have given up on regaining almost normal hearing because of the technology that was available 5-10 years ago. My wife is one of those. Her son finally convinced her( he also has hereditary hearing loss) to give the newest tech a try.

  463. A heartfelt and warming tale. I’m glad I lived to this point where we can read stories such as this.
    Now enjoy the music ;)

  464. EXCELLENT NEWS!

    Anthony, speaking for myself and the umpty-jillion commentors above, WE ALL APPRECIATE WHAT YOU BRING TO OUR WORLD. THANK YOU

  465. Great news!
    Bad news for the alarmists though, their enemy is now even more formidable.
    No doubt this will also be blamed on CO2….

  469. Thanks for sharing your story Anthony, touched my heart.
    Once again you show us we live in the best of all times in human history.
    We live as gods by the standards of our grandparents, our great-grandparents laboured to start us toward today.
    To restore such a cruel loss, so completely.
    This is the blessing of science and technology.
    To see these blessing threatened by a UN sponsored movement defies all common sense and logic.

  470. I am very happy for you.

    You are an amazing man, for even though you yourself were nearly deaf, you allowed so many (like me) to feel heard on this website.

    If anyone deserves their lost hearing back, it is you. Praise God! (And hard-working scientists and engineers too, of course.)

  472. I’m a little deaf, but nowhere close to 85%. I’m happy you found a solution. I’ve wondered if something like that would help. Thanks for sharing!

  474. So very very very happy for you Anthony, and thank-you for sharing your very heartfelt story. This makes me feel much more sympathetic to people with this problem. God Bless You and your family.

  475. Wow Anthony, that is incredible! I can only imagine the joyous emotions you must be feeling. I’m very happy for you. Awesome! I’m literally in tears of joy reading your life transforming story! Wow, what a stunning breakthrough for you (and so many others). I’ll be sharing your story for a very long time especially to those in need. Thank your for writing such an important story about your journey.

  476. Anthony, hopefully this also means you’ll be more comfortable at conferences and can continue to share your knowledge and passion for truth in climate.

  477. Obviously there are so many well-wishers that I doubt you’ll ever read this, but I want to jump on the band wagon any how.

    I hope you enjoy your new-found hearing for a long, long time…and please continue to drive WUWT.

  482. Anthony, you describe the agonies of profound hearing loss perfectly. I know, because I suffered for almost five years the same travails that you did. It is simply terrible, and so isolating.

    My hearing loss was even worse, however, since at the end not even in-the-canal programmable hearing aids would help. I heard sounds, but couldn’t make out the words. About 12 years ago I had a cochlear implant in one ear, and with that I have been able to cope reasonably well. I’m a candidate for a second implant, and that should help even more. You should know that if your hearing worsens and the hearing aids no longer help, there is always the implant solution. It’s not perfect, but the technology has improved a lot in recent years.

    In any event, thanks for all the great work you do. It is appreciated and very important.

  483. This is wonderful and helpful news as I know an individual who may benefit from your story. Thank you for sharing this.

  486. Truly awesome. Technology and medical science are continuing to advance, so as long as backwards thinking politicians on either side don’t get in the way more than they already are…it’s possible even if your hearing goes south later that stem cells or nano tech hearing aids can keep you in the game.

  489. Congratulations, Anthony!!! You deserve this. I hope you never fail to hear something new and wonderful on a very regular basis!

  490. I cried too when I read your story Anthony. Reminded me of the web video of the woman last year who heard her voice for the first time. A wonderful story. Thanks for all you do.

  492. Anthony
    I share the warm feelings of many others upon reading your recent positive experience and wish you a permanent fix.
    I know in a small way the issues with hearing loss since my wife finally got hearing aids after missing so much of our grandchildren’s activities for just a few years not decades as you have experienced.

  493. Hmmmm not to get negative on this post, but have there been any climate alarmist to post on this thread? Unless they are anonymous, I haven’t seen any post by John Cook, Michael Mann, Phil Jones, James Hansen, and the like who know of Anthony Watts and most likely read his blog. (and some have met him personally).
    Even in politics, the rivals congratulate and are polite to their adversaries.
    I have seen some who hold opposite views post on this thread, and I commend them.
    I was really moved by this post by Anthony. Again, I can’t come up with words that reveal how I feel. There are so many posts on this thread that say many things that I would want to say.
    Thanks for sharing this story…

  494. Anthony,
    I’m delighted that Christmas has come early for you. May your sensory rebirth be long, joyful and productive. I nodded empathetically and emphatically when I read your use of the term “reborn,” as that was how I felt when a few years ago an IOL lens implant replaced the near blindness of a quick developing cataract with nearly perfect vision as if some Technology God had declared, “Let there be Light,” and “It was so.” Now blind in the other eye, I will soon experience that wonder again. I stand in awe of all the scientists and doctors who have made these miracles possible.
    In regards to the interesting story of your background; kudos for overcoming the social isolation so often inherent in a sensory deficiency, and thank you for sharing the heart-warming story of that struggle. I sense Christmas caroling might be in your near future. May you sing loud and proud.
    Thanks also for all the hard work you put in making WUWT a valuable resource for the community.

    • The future is here!

      How about starting your caroling with this one, Anthony
      (I think this is likely to be in your range):


      “Do You Hear What I Hear?” — sung by Bing Crosby

      (youtube video)

      Merry Christmas!!

      #(:))
      #(:))
      #(:))

      • And!

        If you feel like just marching around, strutting your stuff in general jubilation…

        PURDUE BOILERMAKERS FIGHT SONG

        GO, ANTHONY WATTS!

        #(:))

  498. Sometimes the written word speaks as loud, or louder than that spoken.
    Thanks for the interesting articles and comments.

  499. Great news Anthony. I’m happy for both you and your family.
    I recall speaking with you briefly one to one at a presentation you gave in Ballarat a few years back and noticing at the time just what what difficulty you had in hearing me. Terrific!

  501. Bilateral profound hearing loss. Circles are right ear, Xs are left. Arrows down are indicative of a no response. Very narrow sweet spot between Most Comfortable Level and Uncomfortable Hearing Level in terms of amplification (so very difficult to fit: hearing and cringing are just a few decibels apart). Unaided discrimination for spoken words less than 50% (crappy). On the bright side, hearing loss is relatively flat, which means that discrimination might still be intact if you can amplify correctly. The resultant aided (with hearing aids on) test bears this out.

    What were the bone conduction test results?

    My mom had both middle ear and inner ear heating loss from ear infections and antibiotics.

    I fit my grandfather with Starkey hearing aids. He had steep Ski slopes, not flat hearing loss. Hard to fit. But we finally worked it out. Trouble is as he got into his 90’s he could not remember whether or not to put his teeth in water and air out his aids. So he put his aids in water and aired out his teeth.

    Congrats Anth***. And Starkey Labs is a great company. I did a seminar for Starkey Laps in Portland related to aging and hearing loss. They videoed the entire presentation. It included stories about my mother and grandfather.

  502. I’m absolutely thrilled for you Anthony. I was in tears as I read your account. It is wonderful news and the answer to prayer.

    I will forward details of these marvellous people to friends with a deaf son.

    All best wishes,

    Annie.

  503. To clarify, “ski slopes” are when hearing is intact in the 250 to 500 Hz range, then drops like a stone at 1000 Hz and beyond. My grandfather shot the holly hell out of his ears (he was a competitive trap shooter), with his left far worse than his right. So he ended up with ski slopes. Both sides were toast in terms of speech discrimination (which may still be intact with a fairly flat loss, even though profound, between 500 to 1500 Hz). I ended up (back then) only able to amplify that 250 to 1500 Hz range, which worked good enough. Had he still been alive today, the other speech frequencies may have been helped with today’s technology.

    So bottom line:

    1. Wear ear protection when shooting. Every time.
    2. Spend money on hearing aids if you need them. Cheap ones are crappy.

  504. Well, I am shedding a tear or two here in Perth. I struggled with hearing loss my whole life too managing to get by but missing out on a lot of life. Then my bride insisted that I get hearing aids! And like you, Anthony, what a difference it made! I was nowhere near as bad off as you but it has been so much better in every respect. Thanks for sharing your story and God bless!

  505. Your situation is probably better than people with normal hearing. Lot’s of times in public situations I’d like to be able to turn my hearing off with the click of a switch.

    God won’t let me. Sort of jealous of you on that score.

  506. Many thanks for sharing this wonderful news. I’m truly humbled that you have had to go through so much, just to be able to experience things that (as you say) most of us simply take for granted, without appreciating how truly lucky we are. And you never once gave in: we also have this world-beating blog to admire and enjoy – an inspiration to us all.

  507. Congratulations, I’m happy for you. Technology can be a wonderful thing. Been using behind the ear amps for about 1 1/2 years now and although my loss isn’t (yet) as profound as yours I can still relate.

  508. What a fantastic story. Congrats and brought a few tears to my eyes too. What a wonderful, hopeful inspiration for many who suffer from hearing loss.

  510. Congrats from Oz. I almost cried when I saw your new results (and I am a 64 year old male) as I met you when you graciously gave us your time in Adelaide, South Australia a couple of years ago.

    Thank you for all of your efforts on this web site and your travels in spite of your hearing difficulties

  515. Very happy for you Anthony, Enjoy your new view of the world, but as others already mentioned the you that you are emerged from the trials and tribulations of your hearing loss, and we are grateful for that you also. How is that proverb? what does not kill me makes me strong?

  517. What an amazing story! I’m thrilled for you and hope that you continue to be able to hear and “get your life back” permanently!

  518. I’m thrilled for you too Anthony. THis is by far my all time favorite WUWT article. Even better than the leaked climate emails.

  521. Anthony, I choked up reading this post, for two reasons.. One, because of the deep gratitude you express for this change in your life. And for me, deep gratitude that I live in a world with so many talented people who perseverance and skill help remedy or eliminate such afflictions as yours. It helps me retain my outlook of being a glass 7/8 full kind of guy.

  522. Many congratulations, Anthony, and long may you continue to enjoy your new found hearing. Remember to spend more time with your family and less time here! I’m sure they will enjoy your restored hearing as much as you do.

  523. 567th reply! Congratulations, Anthony. And don’t ever let the rude twerps like J O pull you down. You’re better than them, and it’s all they have.

  524. Congratulations, Anthony, from a fellow sufferer of profound deafness. I know exactly what you’ve been going through, although being late-deafened by jet aircraft noise, I didn’t have half your problems. My hearing difficulty was resolved back in 2000 when I had my first cochlear implant, and with a second implant in my other ear more recently, I am able to function normally in the real world again.

    If I may be so presumptuous, may I congratulate your long-suffering wife who, like mine, has born the brunt of the hardship of our problem at least as much as we have. They are saints and should be treated accordingly. They too have had their hell on earth.

  527. Anthony: I had been very concerned when I read your introduction on the open thread post from Sunday, 10/26. Very happy the trip worked out well for you. “Bravo Zulu” to all of those involved.

  528. No one deserves this more than you, Anthony.

    My thanks to the people at Starkey for acquiring the ability to do it.

  529. Congrats to you and I am so happy everything is still going so well for you!

    From that tiny little blonde woman :)

    • HOW COOL that YOU posted, here! Welcome to WUWT (I think I may speak on behalf of the regular commenters, here…). Don’t be a stranger.
      #(:))

    • I got a big kick out of the tiny woman/tiny voice thing. I can nearly walk upright under a volley ball net, and crawl spaces under houses look more like basements to me. Paradoxically, I have a big on-the-low-end-of-tenor voice.

    • Sometimes we just do what do and get to be part of someone’s special moment. Sometimes we never know. Sometimes we do. I’m glad you know.
      Anthony won’t be the only one that remembers.

    • You’re so lucky to have met the great Anthony Watts! Thank you for making him that drink, I’m sure he needed it!

  532. Awesome news. And I imagine the family are very happy as well.

    The world had better watch out. Any sort of disability that makes life very stressful (as yours was) is utterly exhausting. Given what you still managed to achieve under those circumstances, with even greater energy levels in future than your already impressive ones, the sky’s the limit!

  535. Really happy for you Mr. Watts. Thank you for sharing that personal story with us.

    Just goes to show you should never give up.

  536. Like others I had to choke back some emotion. My older brother suffered mid-life deafness and it has been hard over the 4 decades since to watch this vibrant, witty, and out going inspiration to me drift toward near total isolation. My own ears are screaming like a broken steam pipe, butI am so happy for you and your wonderful gift of renewed hearing. I hope this brings you greater closeness with your loved ones. No question this is as much a gift to them as you – they have you back. All of you. Now don’t be such a work-a-holic, and give your family some quality time!! We’ll all be fine, here, and there’s really nothing to be done regards the climate until 2016 anyway.

  537. Inspiring story of success, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy! May delightful sounds fill your days.

  538. Just one of thousands of people congratulating you and hoping for much future happiness for you. May your long burden be forgotten. Every one who finds a miracle is a victory.

  541. I am so happy for you. Your story is an inspiration. The challenges you overcame after such a long time in your life as well as becoming, with these challenges, a leading light in the field of AGW.

  542. Congratulations Anthony! When I met you in Brisbane you kept the shysters on the run even with your problem. Now they really better watch out! I also was given tetracycline at about six. Escaped the hearing problem, luckily.

    • Larry

      I think one of the messages is to go and find out.

      Having met Anthony in Bristol recently it is obvious that this has had a profound effect on him. It could do the same for you.

      tonyb

  545. “tiny women have tiny voices”. You never met my Irish Grandmother, did you? As one of the partially hearing-ed I’m really pleased for you Go to it and live happily.

  546. Moist eyes around here, too – fantastic story Anthony, and beautifully told. Welcome back to the rich world of sound and connection!

  547. Congratulations Mar Anthony Watts! A heartfelt and well expressed tale of success.

    As the above posts, and WUWT hits statistics express, while you have had difficulty hearing, the world is hearing you!.

  548. Hi Anthony
    I dont post often but read your blog daily. This is brilliant news. I’m so pleased for you.

    Best wishes
    Andy Dawson
    London UK

  550. This brought “teyes to my ears” …
    (So far, the word tears (plural) is mentioned 31 times on this page!)

  558. Anthony,
    I have not had the good fortune to have met you and most likely, I never will. This is beautiful.
    As Satchmo would say in his unique voice, “It’s a wonderful world”.

  563. Congratulations.

    An old girlfriend of mine recently had a severe ear infection which reminded me of my hearing issues I have had since birth. She now understands how a hearing issue and/or infection can be so debilitating and yet remain invisible to others. So now she understands my pain.

  564. Very many congratulations, Anthony. My aged mother is increasingly hard of hearing and I know what a burden that is for her. To suffer with this from childhood must have been terrible.

    Probably someone else has made the point (I’m at work and can’t read the comments), but anyway: it has been said that Churchill became the unstoppable force that he was at least partly in response to the depression – the “black dog” – that stalked him throughout his life.

    Terrible as it has been for you, the qualities of personality you had to develop to the full to overcome your disability – courage, determination, refusal to give in to self-pity – have played a big role in making you the man that you are.

  565. I know exactly how you feel. I have had to learn a new language while steadily going deaf. It is very embarrassing when in a room of 12 french speeking councillors you completely mis-hear what was said and reply to a different question or ask the wrong question.
    Unfortunately, even factory made hearing aids here are $1100 the factory equivalent of the one you describe is around £4800 each. A sum way beyond the reach of a pensioner.

    So I hope you enjoy your miracle and make the most of it, which I’m sure you will. Welcome to the world of music, TV and be able to hear women. :)

    • Try Costco hearing aids I got mine there for A$1899 with remote control .and 5 different programs,, they are great.

      • Thanks but finding a costco in france may be a problem and at A$1899 it is still a little expensive for 2.

    • To hear women? Let me give you a hint as to what women talk about mostly. Shoes blah blah blah, handbags blah blah blah, dresses blah blah blah, hairdoos blah blah blah, couches blah blah blah, are you listening to me husband blah blah blah? watch out for that red light babe!

      • Did you note the smile, Patrick. Mind you, children’s voices are even worse. They become nothing but a screech. I really annoy my granddaughter because I say pardon so often.

        Unlike Anthony I sort of deserve my hearing loss. I played in a ‘pop’ group when I was young. Volume knocking the village halls wall down and then in a mechanical (strowger) telephone exchange w/o wearing ear defenders. So beware all you iPod people. Hearing loss is coming your way and there is only one thing worse (in senses loss) and that’s sight.

      • Hate to break it to you, Patrick, but there are many of us women who are nothing like that and can hold a good conversation with almost anyone. There are also men who talk about nothing but sports and sex – the male equivalent of the type of woman you are whining about.

      • I have my hearing issues…painful they are…and I stand by my post. No-one knows what the pain is like.

      • Men who talk about sports? Almost all of my male mates talk about football (Soccer here I am from) and netball (rounders/baseball) and rugby etc…and it makes no sense to me. Rings around Uranus make more sense to me.

    • Stephen, I have no idea if they’d work with someone overseas- but did you note that Anthony said not to let finances deter someone from contacting the Starkey people, that they’ve ways to work with that (at least if I understood him correctly!). Couldn’t hurt to contact them and see…. and I would have thought that there would also be some ways to accomplish that with organizations/companies/the government in France too??

      • Strangely, Socialism is not the best catalyst for inovation and entreprise. We have a good , but getting worse, health system much like the USA. We pay a sum to the state and a sum to an assurance company. With that you pay for everything except thet the state gives you 13€ and the assurance company about €300 (depends on your contributions).

        I’m really pleased for Ant but a little jealous.

      • @Stephen Richards,

        “Socialism is not the best catalyst for inovation and entreprise.”

        Actually not a surprise at all – the system simply doesn’t work well with human nature, unfortunately.

        I understand what you’re saying about your health system too – very similar to our co-pays and deductibles… but I’m suggesting contacting the device manufactures directly, NOT through your medical system, and see if they have any programs to help folks in your situation. And particularly to contact the group Anthony worked with directly too to see if they can help or have suggestions for others who might. Worst that can happen is it turns out to be a waste of time, best is that one or more turn out to have programs for people in exactly your situation where they donate the hearing aids or at least cover most of what insurance won’t for you…. I hope you’ll give it a try and wish you success if you do!

  566. Best wishes to you Mr.W, and your wife. There have been many posts here on wuwt, that have stirred various emotions in me, but none have brought a tear to my eye like this one has. I think all the above comments indicate the huge positive influence, your good work is having on a global scale.The kind words and good wishes are well deserved.

    As I was skimming through the comments (too many to read them all right now) I happened to catch the one from Jenn. The little blonde ”angel.” My beloved is 5′ 11” and I’m not much more than that myself. Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that we take for granted, that can make the most profound difference to us.

    Many years of happy hearing to you.
    Eamon. (Ireland)

    • Aaarrgghh NO! I knew I made a blunder. I’m going to have to make an ”adjustment.” Sorry that should be 4′ 11”. See. Now it makes more sense, I hope.

      Eamon.

  569. Anthony, congratulations, this is a fantastic outcome. My very best wishes to you and your family.

    Once again I’d like to express my heart-felt thanks for your work. The fight for the truth and the integrity of science will be hard and very long, but I’m confident that the truth will win in the end. My only regret is that I’m getting on in years and I’m not confident I’ll live to see it. Right now things almost seem to be getting worse.

    Thank you and good luck!
    Chris

  570. As a fellow deaf sufferer I can appreciate everything you have been through. Isn’t it wonderful to hear again, all the best and much happiness for the future;

  571. Congratulations, Mr Watts ! All the best to you and your family. And thank you for your great work !
    Greetings from Lisboa, Portugal.

  572. Good on you, Anthony. My hearing with my two aids isn’t toooo bad but I get cranky and disappointed when a situation has me missing so much of the conversation. I am going to suggest to my hearing aid specialist lady, Gayle, that when a person is needing hearing aids, their family should be asked to partake in an “Understanding how to live with a deaf person” training session. My husband is good but will talk to me from three rooms away or be walking away or facing the other way or mumble or grunt(?) or I am always telling him “you haven’t answered me” at which he says “yes I have”. But there are some laughs too, when I misinterpret what people say which can be very funny!
    I had a little conversation with you at the Mirage Hotel on the Gold Coast a few years ago in the coffee lounge area just before I went to your presentation of the USA’s temperature recording stations which were blasted by hot air from an amazing array of airconditioners, aircraft, motor vehicles, asphalt tarmacs, etc. etc. David Archibald was there also to inform us about the cooling cycle of the sun which was the first time I had heard about it. Anthony, I go to your blog most days. Kind regards to you and your clever wife… Faye

  575. “Can you repeat that?” Yes, repeat it and repeat it and shout it from the rooftops!!

    I’m SO, SO happy for you, and at the engineering miracle that made this happen. The knowledge that this happened for you has made my day–I’m dealing with serious family health problems, and knowing that miracles are possible is really lovely to hear right now.

    And it couldn’t happen to a more deserving person!!!

  576. Ripper!
    excellent news and very happy for you :-)
    were Cochlear implants as developed and used widely in aus, not a viable option?
    just curious.

  577. Anthony, imagine that these 500+ comments are coming from people all in one room and you are able to hear each kind word…Cool…
    Now what kind of battery runs these terrific devices?

    • Polski asks abt batteries – you missed the part – the hearing aid itself is not bulky because there is no battery in there – – they run on solar – the down side is Anthony has to wear a solar-panel beanie, with a wire running to each ear, at all times.

      They tried wind power, but the noise generated defeated the purpose.

  579. Such wonderful news, bless you and your family. I was on Oxytetracycline for 10 years, for my acne. Until I discovered it was due to an intolerance to lactose in milk. I haven’t suffered any hearing loss, I think? But my teeth did go yellow, but teeth whitening sorted that problem out. Lovely news. :)

  581. Sir, you are an inspiration to many, many folk ‘out there’. Keep on keeping on. Though my own personal journey has not been one of hearing loss, many of the tortured struggles you mention are very familiar to me. So, yes, like many others here, your story has made me cry too. It’s your humanity that marks you out in this vicious, harsh and cynical online environment as one of the better people in life. May God bless you for that.

  582. “People that are blind actually do better socially than people with severe hearing loss.”

    In my observation this is true, and it always baffled me. In my youth there was this shoe-repair man, who talked to me with a childish high-pitched voice, only using the rare words needed. It gave the feeling of a handicapped person who lived in his own secluded world. But when in the streets a blind person came by, carefully monitoring the surroundings and moving slowly, with a stick or maybe a dog, there was an aura of dignity with this person, sharing the same world I lived in.

    Also on television blind people could be celebrated like famous musicians, but I am not aware of deaf people being part of social life that way.

    So yes, it must have been a big, big struggle for you. I didn’t realize your impairment was that serious and read your story with fascination and growing respect for your endurance.

    I wholeheartedly congratulate you with the new world that opens up to you, and the new dimension of direct face-to face two way communication. I am sure with the strong personality you have you’ll keep your balance amids the turmoil these sudden changes may temporarily create.

  583. As a person who shares the frustrations of extensive hearing loss and trying to find a suitable yet mechanical solution via aids, I am absolutely delighted to read of your successful resolution of what can be a lonely and troubling battle. Congratulations!!!

    And congratulations also to the hundreds of people who have so overwhelmingly responded here to your message; they certainly reflect the best of mankind.

    All the best to you, Anthony.

    Pedro

  584. I can’t top Mike Smith’s ‘Hear, hear’ so I’ll just tell the joke about the old man who got hearing aids and had to change his will every other week after that.
    ===========================

  585. Congratulations, Anthony! What a remarkable world we live in. May you enjoy it now more than ever!

  586. What fantastic news – and what a compelling account of your trials over the years! It helps me understand better why my uncle – who lost most of his hearing in later life – was so grumpy. Thanks for sharing this – you and your family deserve only the best of good fortune.

  587. I just read this entire post. In 2005, I think, I lost almost all hearing in my right ear. I was a high school Biology teacher, and it was the result of an incident in my classroom. You describe so well the challenges this has brought. Though I retired, after my wife passed, I remarried. This hearing loss have created some tension in our marriage. I photograph wildlife (butterflies) and in the boonies, less than acute hearing can be a disadvantage, or sometimes outright dangerous. I am contacting the Center for Excellence and I hope and pray that this is the light at the end of this particular tunnel for me. Good for you!

  588. What a wonderful, wonderful report, Anthony, of a wonderful transformation! I thank God for giving the scientists and technologists who designed these hearing aids the abilities they needed. And I thank you for sharing the story with so many.

  589. We could repeat the same Starkey story for our daughter, except she is super fortunate to have gotten the Starkey connection at age 5! Even more fortunate that Bill Austin himself fit her at our first visit. Even at 5 and 6, she has such respect for Starkey and how much they help her hearing. I can only imagine but I’m sure YOU can relate! Thank you for the story. We constantly worry how she’ll adapt and stories like yours are so inspiring!

  591. Marvelous! Big lump in my throat remembering my Mom’s struggles with hearing aids and thinking of my sister’s deafness.

  594. Amazing post, you must be so happy. It has also inspired me to talk to my father in-law about hearing tests.

  597. There is the deaf community, and a whole way of life that totally lives free without the “need” to hear. I am not deaf myself—actually I have a freatwr ability to hear than most people period—but have known dead people all my life. As you whine and birch about your “loss” of hearing, why not adapt to a life without it?

    • Carl, I too am blessed to have “20/20” hearing. I know there is a deaf community that adapts to life without hearing. I respect that. What I’ve found so challenging is the friction between those that choose to accept being deaf and those that choose to try hearing aids, implants, etc. It’s a two-way street, why not respect peoples’ decisions to do what they can to alleviate life’s challenges? While my hearing is good, my vision is awful. I would be so dependent upon others if I couldn’t have glasses or contacts. Would you go without if your vision was impaired?

    • He did. But now doesn’t have to adapt to the extent he once did.
      Should an amputee refuse a prosthetic limb? Should they not be elated when they can walk again?
      No one knew, including me, until I was in the 7th grade that my vision was 20/400 at 10 feet. When I first wore my glasses home I just stood in front of a window looking at the individual leaves on a tree. Before then they were a green blur. Should I throw away my glasses?
      Some people are blind and glasses wouldn’t help them. They do have to adapt.
      Some people are deaf and hearing aids won’t help them. They have to adapt.
      Anthony is borderline. Hearing aids did help him. Why find fault with him sharing with us how thrilled he is to “be able to see the leaves”?

    • I’m like Gunga Din, I always had bad eyesight. Then I got RK surgery, and for a couple of days my vision was 20/08; perfect. I remember watching individual cars about three miles away on a freeway. I could see details! The feeling was better than any drug ever.

      But it turned out the vision was due more to edema [swelling] from the surgery, which caused my lens and retina to be in perfect alignment. That went away, and I’ve had to wear glasses efer since. I never got back the great vision I had experienced, with or without glasses. It turned out the eye doctor was inept.

      I would give a lot to have that vision back. Christy’s criticism could as easily be applied to all medical advances. It’s easy to be smug when your hearing is perfect. I am just very glad that Anthony found a miracle cure. That is pretty rare. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

      • “Christy’s criticism could as easily be applied to all medical advances.”

        (I think you meant “Carl’s”.)

  598. I’ve been reading and enjoying your blog for many years indeed, with just a couple of (very recent) posts on my part. But please allow me to add my small warble to the great chorus of congratulatory messages on your hearing gain, and for best wishes for your future. It does make me wonder whether your previous impairment helped or hindered your successes with WUWT. Probably both, just in different ways. Your story also makes me ashamed that I have accomplished so very little by comparison. You should be very proud of yourself, as should your wife and family. I would imagine this will allow you to be an even more formidable force for climate sense in the future, as opposed to you being distracted or “siphoned off” by other opportunities. Did someone say publishing opportunity? Lastly, there are many times I wished I hadn’t heard what a woman had said to me…”Yes, dear.” Thank you for your hard work and efforts, both previous and future. Best wishes always.

  599. People are amazing! (There’s probably a Lego man trying to say something right now)
    Best wishes from Australia, Antony.

  602. Great news Anthony, as a fellow sufferer I know the joy of being able to hear again. I never could lip read particularly well. I have in ear specialist hearing aids supplied by the NHS which are wonderful. It’s also good to know that with the UK universal healthcare free at the point of delivery I did not have to worry about cost or whether my insurance would cover it. My advice by the way is don’t forget them if you go swimming!

  603. What a brave and beautiful recounting of your life and the struggles and now this wonderful life-altering technology. Bravo! On all counts.

  604. Congratulations Anthony. Wonderful news.

    Your willingness to tell your story will help many people, as others will learn they too can be helped.

    Thank you for all you do!

  610. sounds like every person presents a hole universe.

    designed and based on that persons perceptions.

    language / speek / hearing /may be weak tools; but then again they build wide open landscapes.

    welcome home.

  611. Wonderful news Anthony as is the chance for you to see how important and inspiring you are to so many people

  612. Anthony, Congratulations and Best Wishes to you! Bravo, HEAR HEAR. Your story mimics my own as I suffer from tinnitus. Hopefully some day I will be able to hear again too. I’m 65 though and running out of time! Be well, Your friend, fumes

  613. Anthony: thank you. For many things. This blog, first of all. A terrific locus for honest and civil discourse. Second, thanks for being who you are, drily funny and (perhaps too) self-effacing. Climate science is lucky to have such a presence. Third, thanks for sharing this very personal story, and allowing us to feel a little of the gratitude and delight you are feeling. May this be an easy and lasting benefit; and may your happiness be replicated in the lives of many others. Technology can and should be celebrated, and this is such good news.

  614. What a wonderful story! I am vision-impaired and can relate to many of your frustrations. Thank you so much for sharing.

  616. Well, what can I say……..I need a fresh box of Kleenex’! This is so good! So many concerts to go to :)))
    Real Science is wonderful!!

  617. Anthony, this story is inspiring! I am very happy for you, this couldn’t have happened to a nicer man! One downside, though, now as well as reading all the cr@p about AGW, you will also hear it too!!!!
    Give your ears a treat though and listen to true HiFi and home cinema.
    Very best wishes to you and your family from a cold and windy NE England!

  618. This is a wonderful story Anthony. I am sure there is much more to it, moments that others who have not been in your shoes cannot imagine. But what you have perservered through has shaped you: independance of thought, dogged pursuit of the truth, and ultimately the creation of this blog. You have endured great personal trial, but the result has been a great blessing to the world.

  620. After reading you for many years, I feel like I know you a little bit. I’m so happy for you, your family and friends. So, does Michael Mann sound silly to you?

  624. A moving account of triumph over adversity. I hope that you and those who love you make the most of this miracle. I was moved by your revelations Ant. Well done.

  625. I have been reading this blog for many years, this is the first time I have written.
    Congrats and I will have a Manhattan tonight with you and your “cure” in mind

  626. Mr. Anthony Watts… I am thrilled that this wish has come true for you and yours… You ARE the MAN!
    You and we will prevail.

  627. I would have never guessed you had a hearing problem . . . . Glad you were around to be a witness to “A Modern Miracle”! . . . . If I didn’t say it already!

  629. Delighted for you and your family, Anthony. Along with others, I was a bit worried when you went offline for “epic personal reasons”.

    It just shows what humans can achieve with a positive attitude to technology.

  630. As a Speech And Language Pathologist I see first hand on a daily basis the devastation of hearing loss. Congratulations on your new life!

  631. So VERY happy for you Anthony….and thanks for the great narrative of your first day of the rest of your life

  632. An incredibly moving story. My eyes misted up reading it. Congratulations to you on regaining your hearing! And thank you for providing this website–without it, so much would have been lost.

  633. Very happy for you.

    And thanks for sharing. My mother in law is in pretty much the same boat; near complete nerve deafness. She has given up on hearing aids and social interaction. It makes my wife pretty sad. Perhaps she could benefit too.

    Again; congrats and thanks.

  634. Anthony,

    I am extremely happy for you. The joy of having something restored
    to you that has been taken is one of the greatest in life, and I am
    thrilled that you have experienced it.

  635. So very cool Anthony!

    My daughter was born with what they termed “moderately severe unilateral hearing loss”. As a parent, it hurt to see her hearing test results, and they were no where near as bad as what your baseline is (with hearing that bad, I don’t know how you functioned at all!). Seeing the result of your new hearing aids gives me great hope for what science will be able to do for her as she gets older.

  636. Antony, for years I’ve read and recommended your blog. In all that time and even though my blood has boiled many times, I have never provided any comment, until now.
    I am sincerely gladdened by your story and wish you and your family all the best. Thank you for being you, being human and producing this excellent blog.
    Enjoy the sounds of Christmas. It’s the little things that make life worth living.

  637. Anthony,
    Congratulations! And yes, you made me leak a few tears, as did my wife. My father-in-law had terrible hearing, and wore expensive aids. He used to take them out and crank up the TV, kept everyone from saying much during the show, which was his intention. Afterwards they went back in…

  638. That’s fantastic Anthony – very good news
    I have some hearing loss myself – mainly from damage in my early years in mining, playing in bands, and sport shooting, so your story is great news to everyone who has such impairment.
    You have the undying admiration from those of us in Australia who have followed your fight for good science in climate science and politics. Please enjoy the new sounds in your life and keep up the fight as the ungodly still think they can win and we still need you. Its not over yet and we must keep showing them where they are wrong – politely of course….

    Ken M

  640. Anthony, thank you so very much for posting this!! Your account literally brought tears to my eyes as I was reading your tiny bar woman and then concerned patrons encounters. Just that you would write about it in such detail made very very clear was a massively joyous situation that was!! My father lost hearing in one ear when he was quite young (ear infection) – and now he’s in his mid 80’s and I think he’s losing a good amount from his “good” ear too. He’s a brilliant man but independent and stubborn, and a bit of a penny pincher – I have to broach the idea of getting his hearing checked and then getting hearing aids, and don’t have a lot of hope for success – but perhaps if I send him your article it will help pave the way!

    Regardless, I am so very happy for you (and your family). You are a treasure for many of us, and just reading about something that is so profoundly moving for you makes me happy!

    If there are still leaves on trees around you, perhaps go find a pretty spot out away from any city noises, with LOTS of trees, on a breezy day,,, and enjoy hearing the wind rustle the tree leaves along with whatever bird calls and wildlife noises there might be! Or if the leaves have already fallen, then next spring…

    My best to you and yours

  642. Congratulations and best wishes for continued and stable improvement in your hearing. As a former native Twin Cities Minnesotan, it was good to hear about how well Minnesota treated you. I was lucky enough to be able to have my progressive conductive hearing loss (otosclerosis) corrected by having a stapedectomy and replacement prosthetic implant. Even though my hearing loss was only on one side and, then, only partial (my audiogram was not nearly as bad as yours, Anthony), the disability was very noticeable and destructive. BTW, in recently there have been a number of articles referencing a report that eating several servings of fish per week will help prevent hearing loss (in women); and one study mentioned coffee.
    [Google it]. Take it for what it is worth–“received knowledge” in nutrition changes frequently.
    Once again, great news. “hello world”

  645. Reblogged this on a simple man of God and commented:
    Anthony Watts’s climate blog, Watts Up With That?, typically focuses on how Anthropogenic Global Climate Change (Man-Caused Global Warming) is not typically based on observable data and is largely bunk (but not completely!)
    This entry is important, not because of climate news, but because of how beautifully tragic his life has been and the miracle of modern medicine/science. This story shows that we are still a long way from the ideal of Jesus’ ability to heal deafness with a touch or a word, but amazing things can still happen.
    Go read the Anthony’s story. It is so worth it. (I teared up toward the end!)
    Daniel

  646. Anthony,

    As I sat reading your life story of struggle and real suffering and with tears in my own eyes, I felt for you with every word. Miracles only happen to good people and especially those who have suffered much. In the face of this, you have given your many followers such great inspiration and knowledge over the years, it is no wonder that the God you prayed to has blessed you. These hundreds of posts show you not only how thrilled we all are for you and your family, but the immense regard we have for you and your work as well.

    Kevin from Sydney, Australia

  648. Thanks for sharing this Anthony. I sent my mom the link. With her hearing aids she can converse with a single person but she hasn’t been able to separate multiple voices for 15 or 20 years now. She still loves to socialize but often gets left out of conversations. I’m thinking it’s about time she took a quick trip to Minneapolis.

  649. Anthony & family,

    From Euclid (just e. of CLE): trials, tribulations, rewards – heartfelt rewards. We all know that the upcoming will be one of your most appreciated holiday seasons ever. Soak it in! We all share in your joy – which could not be for a more deserving man and his family.

    Your best will always be in your future,

    Paul

  650. I never expected to learn so much about hearing loss and its effects on here but I am glad for it. I thank you for your personal story, it has touched me deeply.

  652. Thank you, Anthony for telling more of the story of your Purdue days. You mentioned Purdue all too briefly in My presentation at Doctors for Disaster Preparedness, WUWT 8/17/13.

    Part of my comment to you then:

    In the video (@7:00), you say that you went to Purdue University, and worked as a research assistant the in meteorology department. Anthony, that alone make you more of a “climate scientist” than a lot of today’s computer modelers that never field collected a proxy. You literally got your hands dirty with Stephenson Screens and data collection. …. A sentence about Purdue meteorology research is worth adding to your “About me” page.

    You replied, in part:

    My hearing issue had the biggest impact on my college years, a story I’ll tell someday. Becoming a broadcaster was serendipity that happened in the Purdue Met department hallway. And for me it was a godsend, since for the first time I had a job where I didn’t have to strain to hear/interact, only talk.

  653. Sooner or later in life most of us can use a “giant kick in the ass”. When that time comes, hopefully there is someone around that cares for you enough to deliver it.

  654. What can I add but my best and pray that it continues along with your blogging. As my Scots Mum would say wishing you a long and happy life, “Lang may your lum reek”

    James Bull

  656. Tremendous news! Thank you for all you do – amazing to think that you achieved it all despite these factors. What courage – what grit. I am now off to find out if Starkey can help my father-in-law here in the UK!

  659. As a hard-of-hearing supporter of WUWT I read your story with more than a little interest. I have already been in touch with the company by email, and they have put me in touch with their agent in the UK with whom I have already fixed an appointment. If I get the same results as you Anthony then I will be most grateful to you. If you do manage to read this at the end of what must be a record number of blogs on one subject then I say very many thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I will let you know the results if they are positive.

  660. Anthony – you’ll probably never get this far down your responses, but can a retired Brit engineer, still fortunately with everything in good working order, tell you that your story made me cry…
    Good luck to you sir – and more power to your ‘climate realist’ elbow..!

  661. Best post ever. Thanks. Made my day. God has prepared you in an amazing way to be a purveyor of truth. Godspeed Mr. Watts!

  662. Congrats to you Anthony – it certainly sounds an amazing achievement. More importantly kudos to Stacey for being a trooper, standing by you and not accepting status-quo.

  663. I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for the kind, heartfelt, and touching comments. I’m overwhelmed but also incredibly grateful. This image, from the book given to George Bailey in the end scene of the timeless movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, sums up how I feel:

  664. I have some moderate hearing loss from a previous industrial job. I thank God every day that it hasn’t degenerated further. But I do understand what you experience, because I have similar, although much lesser, problems hearing in bars and other noisy places. It is so disconcerting. It really profoundly affects you. So I can only imagine the isolation and impact in all other aspects of your life. I’m deeply moved that you’ve found a solution that moves you out of the dark and into the light again. Congratulations.

  665. Anthony,… I am Weeping with Joy for You.

    Thank You For Your Generous Sharing, Your Courage, and
    Your Graceful Fortitude.

    With Deep Appreciation,.. Charlie

  666. Im late in response – just saw article – but much congratulations!!!!!!!! Im very happy for you – with out this website and your hard work i would have never understood what is really happening with AGW. thanks and congrats again.

  667. The science wasn’t settled for the people that developed this technology. The warmists would have you use an earhorn. I love your blog and appreciate your toil in and of this seemingly endless struggle. You bring rationality and the truth, thank you.

  668. You are very brave to share the candid account of your struggle with hearing loss. I am sure you have inspired others to have hope. May I offer my sincerest congratulations and a genuine thank you for this remarkable website.

  669. I come back to WUWT after two days without internet and find this terrific news. Congratulations, Anthony!

  670. I’m so happy for you Anthony. Congrats to all involved. For some quiet listening, I recommend this:

  672. Anthony, I am a near daily reader but first time commenter. You are a truly inspiring person and mentor. +1 to the tears counter.

  674. I am a WW II Navy combat veteran. This morning I was tested and fitted for new hearing aids at the Veterans administration Medical Center in Martinsburg, VA. I shared Anthony’s story with the audiologist. He gave me the good news that the new aids I will be getting will be Starkey’s most recent in-the-ear model. Thanks to the VA and Starkey, my cost will be less than $200 for the pair.

    • Good for you Mr. Greene, and thanks for your service back in The Big One, WWII. We can never repay you guys and gals for what you did.

  675. Congratulations, I look forward to whispering an off color joke to you at an inappropriate time!

  677. I’m very, very happy for you!! Thank you for posting this. I’m a vet with a military based hearing disability that is slowly getting worse. I’ve bookmarked this page for my not-to-distant future.

  678. Hi A:

    Your revelation was not just your jump for joy (deservedly without bounds), but also an inspiration. Unbeknownst to you, your words of joy and self ‘decompression’ arrived in the midst of our family crisis. Fortunately, our crisis has abated and your words touched use all at a time when they were needed.

    Cheers,
    Mark Beeunas

  679. Congratulations Anthony ..
    sounds of the shore..
    sounds of the country ..
    sounds of the house ..
    sounds of the wife ..
    sounds of the son ..
    And the “Sounds of Silence”

    Only 8,647,313 views on this video, no, yes..

  680. I’m not generally the sentimental crybaby type. But I found your above article moving. Thanks for sharing!

  681. Do you realize, Anthony, that your hearing is actually BETTER than normal? Because you have been blessed with the ability to turn it off! Now that would be cool! Especially in the horribly noisy places I have lived. Congratulations, mate! :-)

  682. Wonderful. I am so happy for you, I know a couple of profoundly deaf people who had the new cochlea implants in Australia- it has changed their lives. The moment when they hear something for the first time in their lives is something incredible to behold.

  683. So happy for you and your family and you are absolutely right hearing is the most fundamental of our senses, without it you literally don’t know where you are in the world. May it all keep getting better

  684. Congratulations and best wishes from all your friends in Australia. You have given humanity an amazing gift via this website and all your efforts. It is only fitting that you are given a precious gift. Cheers mate.

  685. Hi Anthony – This is excellent news. I am sharing with a colleague who suffers from near total hearing loss and, as a result, has become a hermit at home. You have helped many more than yourself!

    Roger

  686. Congratulations from Wangi Wangi, Australia. You are changing the course of history Mr Watts, for the better.

  687. I was astounded at your profound hearing loss chart. My hearing loss is severe, but can be handled with commercial programmable hearing aids. My first set were in the ear models but I switched to behind the ear very quickly – they didn’t get the job done, and the feedback was audible to others nearby! I didn’t have hearing aids until age 40, so I didn’t your school experience, but I can imagine it.

    When your hearing is that bad, the speaker in the ear aids are usually recommended, and that’s what I’ve gotten, with the separate bluetooth controller, since the newest behind the ear models are too tiny to include volume and programming controls. If yours use bluetooth, you have a chance, if the programming is right, to be able to hear in stereo on a smart phone, if you don’t have it already. That’s my next step with mine.

    You’ve given me a great deal of encouragement, that the technology will be available when my current or future commercial (Resound) hearing aids are no longer enough. Congratulations!

  688. Wow Anthony . . . we don’t know each other from a bar of soap but that’s an amazing story.
    Congratulations on getting your life back.
    Cheers from Melbourne, Oz.

  690. I did express my best wishes to Anthony earlier and realize that his hearing loss is chemically induced.

    My hobby post retirement is audio, and I enjoyed my time doing the audio recording and PA at our rather large church in the center of Canberra. I fussed over Db levels and frequency response over the PA system but, most of my comments were directed to the best sitting position in the Church to pick up a signal sent out by the hearing loop to the owners hearing aid. This brought me back to reality as the Congregation is older and most of them use hearing aids.

    And this is my point, these men and women suffered hearing loss as a result of working in industry, where, at that time, hearing loss in future years was not considered a problem. Now it is.

    So, if you are encountering a consistent sound over 100Db,from rock concerts to mowing, please wear some form of ear protection……every time…….no exception.

    Prevention is far better than a cure, no matter how good the technology.

    End of sermon :)

  691. Anthony, from one deaf person myself to another deaf person, Anthony Watts, here’s a name that you may be familiar with and you may be surprised.

    Dr Andrew Manning is a deaf scientist who was one of the contributing authors to Chapter 3 of the Working Group 1 Third Assessment Report (2001) and Chapter 2 of the Working Group 1 Fourth Assessment Report 2007 Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative Forcing. I’m not sure what his later work may have been with the IPCC.

    Andrew currently works at the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
    https://www.uea.ac.uk/environmental-sciences/people/profile/a-manning

    Incidentally, his father, Dr Martin Manning is Head of Technical Support Unit, IPCC Working Group 1 and his deaf sister, Victoria was the driving force behind the New Zealand Sign Language Bill to grant NZ Sign Language official language status in New Zealand in 2006, the first of its kind in the world.

    He has presented some of his works at Gallaudet University.
    http://www.gallaudet.edu/news/solomonlecture.html

    His latest presentation took place late last year in 2013 on the campus of Gallaudet University in Washington D.C. Yet there has never been a presentation from scientists on the “other side” about the so called “global warming” hypothesis and students continue to be duped by it all.

  694. Awesome news, Anthony! I’m very happy for you. I wasn’t deaf when I was a kid, but it must be horrible; kids can be very cruel, and even adults don’t seem to react to hearing loss as a medical disability, but as stupidity or lack of interest in what’s going on. Wonderful!

  695. Regarding all those Bible passages you read in church as a teenager, I’m sure you read this verse Ephesians 5:20 “Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;” I was always told as a kid to “be thankful for all things”…. both the good and the bad in life. It’s hard to imagine that something good comes out of and follows times of darkness but that is so often is the case. In fact, without that bad experience, the order of the universe and our lives would have been disrupted so that the good might never have happened at all. God bless!!

  696. Very glad to hear of your personal success, keep up the good work. Jeremiah 33:6 – Behold, I will bring it health and cure, and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth.

  697. Anthony, I remember speaking to you at Noosaville some years ago. I am so pleased for you. I am so grateful that you kept going with the blog for so many years despite the tremendous obstacle of your hearing loss. You have probably changed the course of world history for the better through your grit and determination.

    Thank you again and have a really, really bonza time for the rest of you life.
    John Murphy

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