How Veterans Overcome Hearing Loss

Ron’s story:

“I come from a family of six boys, all of whom served in the military in some capacity. We all have hearing loss, although I am the only one with hearing loss. Neither of our parents had hearing loss, so it is likely not hereditary. I was first diagnosed upon my retirement from the US Navy in January 1992. While assigned to the USS San Bernardino (LST-1189), I was the voice-activated telephone speaker, standing next to The captain, passing his orders to gun control, had the 3-inch 50 gun turret about 12 feet away and I was wearing no hearing protection.

Ron Tallman and his wife at his 1992 retirement party at Naval Air Station, Barbers Point, Hawaii.

“During my physical retirement in 1992, when the doctor told me I had significant hearing loss in my left ear, I responded, ‘I hear well, Doc.’ He said, ‘You do now, but as you get older, your hearing loss will get worse.’” Four years later, I got my first set of hearing aids and began my journey with hearing loss. I used bilateral hearing aids for 15 years until I woke up one day and went outside to make coffee and talk to the dogs. They were welcoming. I always do, but this morning I couldn’t hear them with my hearing aid on and couldn’t make out the sounds, so I woke up my wife to tell her.

“My audiologist advised me to see an ENT, who tested my speech understanding at 7% in a clinical setting. After an MRI and a balance test, I was considered a candidate for cochlear implants. My right side was implanted in December 2013 and my left side in July 2014.”

A healthcare professional with Ron in the hospital, before his first cochlear implant surgery in 2013.

“A cochlear implant has given me my life back — hearing my wife’s voice, having conversations with my kids, being independent again, making my own appointments, talking on the phone and participating in the HLAA. It’s not an easy journey, and sometimes I still step back and wonder, ‘Why did this happen to me?’ Then I stop and thank the many friends I’ve made along the way. I know this journey will never end, but I’m not alone.

“I joined HLAA before receiving my first cochlear implant and attended my first HLAA conference in St. Louis in 2015. What a profound experience! I have never seen so many people with cochlear implants in my life. All of these people were just like me and understood what I was going through every day. All sessions had audio loops and Communications Access Real-Time Translation (CART) captions. If you have hearing loss, this is the place to go To be in it.”

Ron’s advice for veterans with hearing loss: “Hearing loss affects not only you as an individual, but also your family, friends and relatives, and knows no boundaries. Technology today is amazing for those of us with hearing loss. We can talk on the phone, listen to music, attend Zoom meetings without complaint, go to a movie or watch a movie on Netflix. Technology is limitless and is only limited by what we do not know.”