Marianne Sperling is Hearing Again, Thanks to Cape ENT Group Audiology

Hearing loss runs in the family for Marianne Sperling. Her maternal grandmother was hard of hearing and her mother started losing her hearing in high school. Marianne’s maternal aunt and uncle also experienced hearing loss.

Marianne, 79, is a retired nurse. At age 60, she had a hearing test and was told to keep a check on it.

About a year ago, she started having trouble hearing the television set. Her husband noticed she was getting hard of hearing as well. Since hearing loss runs in her family, she decided to have her hearing checked at Cape ENT Group after a recommendation from a friend at church.

“If the water faucet is not working, you call a plumber,” Marianne said. “While you wait, time is marching on.”

Marianne called the Cape ENT Group on a Monday in June 2018, and was able to see audiologist Yawen Jiang, Aud, CCC-A one week later.

“She made me feel very relaxed and very at ease from the start,” Marianne said of Jiang.

After testing, Marianne decided to pursue with the recommendation of bilateral amplification.

Jiang and Marianne discussed about her listening difficulties during the day, and explained the pros and cons of various different technology levels that are suited for her listening needs. Marianne started her new hearing journey a couple weeks later with in-the-canal hearing aids, and a hearing aid cleaning kit with paper instructions.

“Jiang said, ‘If there’s a problem, I’ll see you in a week. I feel very confident that you’ll do OK,’” Marianne said. She knew if she had a question, she could ask Jiang.

When Marianne broke her hearing aids, she was heartbroken. But, Jiang was very reassuring and told her to bring the pieces in. Jiang helped to get it repaired by the manufacturer within a week.

“She has been very positive in her instructions and asked questions about everything you could possibly think of,” Marianne said.

Her audiology journey has allowed Marianne more empathy for others with hearing loss.

Nowadays, she is grateful that she is no longer missing out on important words from loved ones.

“To be able to hear my husband say ‘Honey, I love you.’ I want to be able to hear that,” Marianne said. She and her husband will celebrate 50 years of marriage this year.

“I can’t think of a single solitary problem. Jiang has made me so confident,” Marianne exclaimed. “What I’ve got is space age!”