The Marionette sat down with sophomore Clarence Long for an interview regarding his advanced hearing aid and how he manages to cope with his hearing condition.

Q: What is the problem you have with your hearing?

Clarence Long: I have hearing loss in my left and right ear, but more significant loss in my left. They first detected the issue when I was about 7 or 8 years old, however, we do not know when it started because the doctors do not know if it was a birth defect or if I was dropped on my head. In my first surgery on December 9, 2012, they found a lot of shattered bones in my left ear. They took them out – the shattered bones and replaced them with a prosthesis – very small metal bucket shaped earpiece substituting for the bones I broke in my ear.

Q: Was that surgery successful?

CL: Yes and no. It was successful because the procedure worked. However in January 2013, I accidentally sneezed which caused my prosthesis to tip inside my ear. My biggest fear when that happened was that I was going to be deaf, but luckily that didn’t happen. So in a way, the surgery would have been completely successful had I not sneezed.

Q: Is that the only surgery you had?

CL: No, besides the first one on December 9, 2012, I had my second surgery five to six months after I sneezed and dislodged my prosthesis on June 9, 2013. The second surgery was a success at replacing the prosthesis with a better one. Additionally, since it was the summer my allergies weren’t as bad so I didn’t sneeze as much. I waited almost two years and then I had my third and final surgery on June 26, 2015 where they cleared out all the leftover scar tissues from the second surgery. After the surgery, I noticed my hearing getting worse and the doctors did not know why so in December 2015, I decided to get a new hearing aid which is for more advanced than the one I received in 2009 or 2008 — around that time. That one will come in a few months from now and in late February, I received my second hearing aid which I am using right now and is a demo they sent me in the meantime while the paperwork for my personalized hearing aid is sorted.

Q: What is this thing around your neck?

CL: It’s a pendant where I can adjust the volume of my hearing aid and also adjust the settings. Let’s just say if I’m in a loud environment, I can adjust the speaker so I can reduce background noise so that I could hear the person I’m talking to more clearly. It’s also a Bluetooth device as well and can pair to any Bluetooth compatible device, be it my phone, the radio, etc.

Q: What is your biggest struggle with your hearing loss as a child?

CL: My biggest trouble was my self-esteem and my self-confidence. I got my hearing aid when I was in fourth grade and I was really nervous about people calling me names and about losing friends because I was “different. But in reality, I really wasn’t. I just had an extra device that I needed. I used to get bullied and called names, nothing too severe, but once I got into the fifth and sixth grade people started to respect me more. However, I was still bullied occasionally.

Q: Have your hearing issues prevented you from doing anything in your life that you wish you were able to do?

CL: Yes, due to my prosthesis, doctors are afraid of it moving, which could potentially lead to me becoming deaf, or my hearing worsening. Therefore, I can’t participate in contact sports like: martial arts, football, or anything that requires being hit. However, in the seventh grade I started running track, one of the only sports I was able to participate in, and I really liked it.

Q: Are you in track right now?

CL: No, I kind of lost my drive for track. I am currently more focused on my grades. I actually have a 3.9 GPA right now. I am really proud because I have overcome so much in my life, despite all of the stresses. No one can stop me from being who I want to be.