HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A student at USF who has dealt with hearing loss since she was a child experienced something life-changing Thursday: getting the gift of sound.
All Alberta Tran has ever known is life hearing out of one working ear.
“It’s my reality, and like, I’ve never known anything different,” said Tran.
While the 19-year-old can normally hear out of her right ear, she’s had profound hearing loss in her left ear all her life.
“I was ordering something at a restaurant, and I was on the end corner,” said Tran. “I literally have to move like this and essentially be like straight face to face to them.”
An experience with an audiologist as a child proved overwhelming, but recently, Tran connected with the MiracleEar Foundation, which provides qualified patients with free hearing aids and a lifetime of follow-up services at no cost.
On Thursday, Tran got the greatest gift of all through hearing aids: the first time fully hearing out of her left ear.
“I’m really excited to just hear all the random things and have people come over to this side and be like, ‘say something, I hear you,’ you know?" said Tran.
Tran is a student at USF with dreams of becoming a pediatric audiologist to help advocate for other kids just like her.
“I think that I’m still nervous,” said Tran. “I’m excited to also, like, go into the real world and, like, experience having everything on this side now.”
