Delhi, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Nagpur, Mumbai, Bangalore
February 2015 India
From Delhi, we traveled southwest to Jaipur, where we were excited to see a longtime patient of Bill Austin’s, Neha. She received AfterCare services, and has seen Bill five times. Over the years, Neha has gotten married and had a baby with her husband, Achin. During this visit, we found out Achin struggled with hearing loss, so Bill fit him as well. We love seeing our AfterCare patients grow and reach their potential with the gift of hearing!
Next up was Bhubaneswar, where one little patient stole the hearts. Bhaswati, 12, lost his hearing when he was a toddler and was believed to have severe hearing loss. Once we started the fitting process, the team realized that Bhaswati only had minor hearing loss that was easily restored with hearing aids. His mother was overjoyed by this news, and promptly gave her son a big, wet kiss. He lovingly swatted her away, explaining that he’s “a big man now” and no longer needs so many kisses from his mom. It was our joy to connect Bhaswati and his mother through the gift of hearing!
From Bhubaneswar, we flew north to Varanasi, a spiritual city located on the banks of the Ganges River. Our fitting site was the Gateway Hotel, where our friend Goldie Hawn was coincidentally staying. A supporter of our work, Hawn surprised us at the mission site to help fit patients. With the assistance of Bill Austin, Hawn helped fit a young boy who spontaneously burst into song once his hearing aids were turned on.
The next city of Nagpur marked a special milestone during this mission run: Bill Austin’s 73rd birthday! While there was plenty to celebrate, our main focus was on the work of changing lives. We had the special honor of helping local volunteer Pooja give her family the gift of hearing. While both Pooja and her sister have normal hearing, parents Deepak and Priya have been living with severe hearing loss for decades. According to Pooja, Deepak and Priya have been isolated from family activities due to their hearing — often sitting off to the sidelines during weddings and celebrations. It was an emotional day as Tani Austin fit both, connecting Pooja’s family through sound.
From Nagpur, we traveled west to the coastal city of Mumbai. Here, Bill Austin received a special birthday gift from two patients. Vijay, 16, and Raju, 14, are talented, self-taught artists. As a sign of special thanks for the work Bill and the Foundation have done, the two friends created hand drawn portraits of him. It was a touching moment of gratitude, and the perfect way to commemorate the successful mission.
The southern city of Bangalore is India’s third most populous city, housing more than 8.5 million residents, and would be our final stop in the country. The team had been looking forward to our mission in Bangalore as we welcomed many special guests to the team. Derrick Coleman joined us once again, along with his friend Brandon Hoffman. We also welcomed Operation Change contest winner Natalie Phillips and her guest, D’Anne Rudden to their first hearing mission.
After the last hearing mission day concluded, the team took the opportunity to join in on local Holi festivities. Holi is a traditional Hindu festival famous for imagery of crowds covered in bright-colored dye. The team had a great time getting messy with the rest of the city to celebrate the arrival of spring. It was the perfect way to close out a great trip changing more than 13,000 lives in India.
Special Thanks
Starkey India; Commonwealth Games Sports Village Complex; Entertainment Paradise; Neoteric Hearing and Speech Center; Trident Hotel Bhubaneswar; Goldie Hawn; The Gateway Hotel Ganges Varanasi; TATA Motors; Sanjeev Bafna and Family; YCP; Derrick Coleman; Brandon Hoffman; Opportunity International: Muffy MacMillan, Quenton Marty, Lori Olson, Geralyn Sheehan; Operation Change Change contest winners: Natalie Phillips, D'Anne Rudden; The Boy and Girl Scouts of India; Indian Red Cross – Bangalore
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