Today, March 3, is World Hearing Day, an annual celebration of hearing loss awareness spearheaded by the World Health Organization. The theme is “Don’t let hearing loss limit you.” Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) envisions a world where no one is limited by their hearing loss, tinnitus, or a related disorder.
HHF-funded scientist Victor Wong, Ph.D., of Burke Neurological Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, is also dedicated to this vision.
HHF-funded scientist Victor Wong, Ph.D., of Burke Neurological Institute at Weill Cornell Medicine, is dedicated to HHF’s vision of better treatments and cures for hearing loss.
At age 4, Wong was diagnosed with a profound hearing loss. He says this personal experience influenced his dream career: to better understand and find solutions for hearing loss.
Although Wong, who is also a competitive cyclist, wears hearing aids, he says, “I do still miss out on a ton of conversations...like how fast and how far to go, what to look for ahead, etc.”
Life with compromised hearing can mean being shut out of personal moments, like a child’s first words, conversation at a birthday party with friends, or a favorite song. More serious consequences of hearing loss, especially when left untreated, can threaten one’s cognitive function, mental health, balance, and safety.
Thanks to generous support from individuals like you, HHF is the nation’s largest nonprofit funder of research on hearing loss and related disorders. You bring to life the dreams of Dr. Wong and other scientists who pursue critical projects that are deeply personal to us.
Unfortunately, funding for hearing loss research from the U.S. government remains very limited. Earlier this month, the Federal government proposed a $48 million cut to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for activities related to birth defects, developmental disabilities, and disabilities and health funding, as well as a $44 million cut to research conducted by the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders.
“The funding for hearing research is so low, and I think that is in part due to lack of awareness to the public as to how severe this disability is on one’s social life on a day-to-day basis,” Wong says.
In celebration of World Hearing Day, HHF needs your help to meet our upcoming funding deadlines.
You can help HHF support the work of brilliant scientists. Your generosity ensures researchers are equipped to conduct more research this year and move closer to a world where everywhere can realize their full potential.
HHF is highly accredited by all charity watchdogs, and pledges to use your gift wisely. Let us know you’re a supporter of hearing loss research by making a World Hearing Day contribution today.
