Hi I am Aaron Simko! Some of you know me as Garth form school or the Denver music scene. I am reaching out to all of my family and friends now because i am in dire need of new hearing aids. I have two bone conduction hearing aids that have have been fantastic until September 12, 2013. One just quit working and my other device is in very poor condition. I'm having a very difficult time hearing people face to face as well on the phone. This is creating a large communication barrier for me at work and in my personal life. The reason I am creating this fundraiser is because I cannot afford the $4,000 per hearing aid cost at this time. I am continuing to work at my day to day job to slowly pull myself out of my current debts. My goal is to be debt free and enrolled back in college by the middle of 2014.
For those of you who don't know I was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome which is a rare autosomal dominant congenital disorder. Treacher Collins Syndrome is only found in 1 in 50,000 births. It can cause typical physical features to be abnormal or absent. This can be seen as downward slanting eyes, small jaw, and conductive hearing loss.
I have been very fortunate that my parents took great care of me and were able to help me receive 18 reconstructive surgeries and hearing improvements throughout most of my life. I am very thankful that I was lucky enough to get the cochlear BAHA bone conduction sound processors and surgery back 2002. They have been a tremendous help to me over the years. Once I got them I was able to become more social, hear music, function in school and so on. Through years of constant use they have been broken and even lost, but were always covered by my health insurance. Unfortunately, for the last two years I have not been able to get them repaired due to their age.
So now I am asking for your help! I am too stubborn to ask for help in most circumstances, but I cannot see how I can get these new hearing devices without it. I have unfortunately been denied coverage for these important devices through my insurance. In order for me to replace my hearing aids I am starting this fundraiser campaign which includes the two things that I love the most; music and being brutal (aka working out). I will dedicate runs to people through photos via Sports Tracker GPS Tracked Runs, offer guitar lessons, and limited addition never found in stores artist series guitar picks! I am also going to be accepting donations when I am playing acoustic guitar covers of Johnny Cash and Social Distortion songs on Denver's 16th street mall. This might be a dream come true for some of you that want to hear me play something besides METAL. I feel that I am blessed with the many friends and family I have, and want to thank you all for your help.
Any questions or ideas please e-mail me @ gartholomue@gmail.com
And most importantly share this with everyone even if you cannot make a donation!
NEW BLOG ARTICLE POSTED!
Audicus blog is an awesome source for hard of hearing news
http://www.audicus.com/blogs/hearing-aids-blog/9843232-denver-musician-creates-online-fundraiser-for-hearing-aids
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