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My Forty Year AN Story
Timothy Bower
In the early 1980’s I was working in the steel industry in Illinois. During phone conversations, I began to notice that everyone I spoke with sounded like Donald Duck, so I switched the handset to my right side and I could hear perfectly. I saw a doctor about this and he diagnosed as an inner ear infection and gave me some ear drops.
A few months later I accepted a position at an Indiana steel mill and failed a hearing test for my left ear (OSHA requirement). The nurse recommended I see an ENT, which led to the discovery process and the eventual diagnosis of a 5 cm AN.
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Coping while Caring - What it’s Like to Support a Loved One Diagnosed with Acoustic Neuroma
By Miranda Sacharin, Board Director; New York City Support Group Leader
Honestly, I could never have imagined what the diagnosis of acoustic neuroma would mean over the years. Life has been challenging since my husband was diagnosed and treated in 2009. Thinking about what we’ve been through together is exhausting. He experienced a number of complications that affected his life on many levels and neither of us were prepared for the long term effects of his surgery. In the midst of treatment and recovery, our coping skills were in overdrive, but as we move further from that intense period, we have seen our abilities to cope long-term come into play.
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Another Story of Remarkable Irony
Darren Raber
After reading A.J. Blum's article, A Remarkable Irony, on the ANA website, I felt we had something in common. It inspired me to finally share my story - also one of remarkable irony.
To begin, I am a very proud father of two deaf children that have cochlear implants. Since I'm "deafinitely left" myself, I have a greater appreciation for the hardships my children faced growing up and how they responded to those challenges. I am so proud of how special they are. Also a remarkable irony - I have a brother that also had acoustic neuroma. His surgery was about nine years ago.
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A Fortuitous Meeting
Stew Binder, NC Support Group Leader
My wife and I attended a local meetup lunch event recently. It was a small group and I had to arrange my seating so that I could hear out of my good ear. One of the attendees, Rolf, asked me how I lost my hearing and I told him it was due to acoustic neuroma surgery that I had in 2011.
Rolf told me that he ALSO HAS AN ACOUSTIC NEUROMA! We began discussing our experiences and I told him I was currently exploring bone conduction hearing device options.
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Struggles Led to a Sense of Purpose and Satisfaction
Tom Cutting
My wife and I have been residing in Florida for 35 years, but I was raised in Wisconsin. Yes, I am a “cheesehead” who still roots for the University of Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers! I grew up in a medical family. My degree in business with a medical focus allowed me to market capital equipment. Through the years, I was fortunate to work for Siemens Medical while culminating and establishing my own company providing services to physician practices.
