Health & Wellness
Local business provides hearing care in Brazil
Brynn Carnesecca | Lehi Free Press
Two sisters’ lives were changed forever a few weeks ago when Layne and Kim Garrett, a local couple and owners of Timpanogos Hearing and Tinnitus, helped give them the gift of hearing. At just 7 and 12 years old, the girls’ eyes lit up when they could hear things clearly for the first time, including the voices of each other and their mom.
Through their trip, the Garretts partnered with Hearing the Call Utah to provide audiology care for 169 people. As Utah locals with deep roots, the trip was the culmination of knowledge, donations from the community and a desire to serve.
The Garretts founded Timpanogos Hearing and Tinnitus in 2003 and have seen over 10,000 patients since then. The two branches of the clinic, in American Fork and Spanish Fork, treat a variety of audiology-related concerns, including tinnitus and hearing loss.
This year, the couple heard about Hearing the Call, an organization that consistently goes abroad to help with hearing concerns. They decided that going on a humanitarian trip with the nonprofit would be the perfect way to serve.
“One of our core values for our company is to give back to the community,” Kim shared. “We love what [Hearing the Call] does internationally, and they’ve also helped us set up the local chapter. Through that, we can help people.”
Before their trip, the Garretts and their clinic focused extensively on serving in the local community. Each patient gets the chance to choose how their coin toward free audiology care will be used, whether for the local community or abroad. Free hearing aids are also given out to those in need regularly, with one stipulation.
“We ask them to do ten hours of community service. Then, they feel like they are giving back as well,” Kim said. “That’s been really rewarding… We feel like the service we are doing is also going out to the community in other ways.”
A few weeks ago, Hearing the Call set up a clinic in the heart of Brasilia, Brazil. For about a week, 14 volunteers spent hours getting patients through the process of receiving hearing care. With a screening process using local help, the team was able to ensure they could help and find as many people as possible.
“They didn’t just slap hearing aids on. We were following gold standard care. We were doing hearing aid verifications on the spot, too, which is skipped even in the states by most clinics,” Layne explained.
At the end of the trip, the group had helped 169 people. One of the most memorable experiences involved two sisters, ages 7 and 12. The first sister,12, who came into the clinic, had high hopes of being a chef and working hard in school. Despite her big dreams, her audiology impairment made her dreams seem impossible. Although she was on the waiting list for care from local specialists, she may have had to wait years to receive the support she needed.
As soon as she got her new hearing aids, her world changed.
“She told us she had never even heard her own voice,” Kim shared. “It was really cool to put the hearing aids on her for the first time and see her face light up. … Her mom teared up and started crying.”
As the Garretts spoke to the mother in Portuguese, they discovered she had another daughter, 7, who also had hearing issues. They encouraged the mother to bring her daughter into the clinic. The next day, the mother returned with her other daughter and shared that through a series of “miracles,” she got off work early and could come. Finally, both of her two daughters could hear her voice.
Their story wasn’t uncommon. Many had been on Brazil’s waiting lists for years.
“It wasn’t uncommon for people to travel over four hours. Many of them were coming by bus,” Layne said.
The Garretts and the foundation they work with have seen how audiology care can be a game-changer.
“I think one of the best ways to resolve or lessen conflict is communication. If you can’t hear well, that is going to cause problems and a lot of prejudice. People who don’t hear well are often labeled as stupid or stuck up,” Layne said. “Beyond communication, the best way to solve problems is to get to know people and put yourself in their shoes. Service is the best avenue for that to occur.”
In the future, the Garretts hope to take more trips to various locations and help give real-world experience to audiology students. For more information or to donate, visit www.utahhearingaids.com/hearing-the-call-foundation/.
