Help Rubin sing again

Greetings!

I’m Rubin ~ many of you know my story, some do not. I’m a cancer survivor, having a grapefruit-sized brain tumor removed when I was 8, with subsequent radiation therapy at St. Jude Hospital. Since that time, I have given my life to my first love ~ music. Striving amidst several learning disabilities caused by the tumor, I sang my heart out at Christ Church Boy’s Choir, and began a career as a professional singer. I also began study on French horn, and, against all odds I received a double scholarship in voice and horn. You may have heard me sing in different churches, for weddings, funerals, concerts ~ wherever I was needed.

But over these years I had two strokes, as well as a third one recently that has impaired my right side. I have worked hard to adjust, but there is something else now to deal with: I’m going deaf. Not only can I not hear my wife telling me she loves me, but I can’t hear my beloved music. Not only that, but I can’t hear myself sing, or talk, or anything. There’s a danger in my physical constraints already - the strokes have affected my walking - but now I cannot hear if someone is warning me of some emergency, and I can’t hear alarms, sirens, car horns. In addition to these, it is affecting my daily life - the deafness is causing a depressive loneliness. Those who know me will say that is definitely not me, as I’ve always been the happy guy always lifting spirits. It’s becoming a lonely world.

Then, a watershed moment: As I have done many, many times, last Sunday, I prepared to sing a solo in church. I knew something was off from the beginning, but I sang the entire song. I sent the recording to my mom, as she’s always happy to hear me sing. She texted me, asking why it sounded so strange. Then I sat down and listened ~ it was horrible. My voice was wandering around, trying to hear the piano accompaniment, trying to hear my voice - to no avail. This was an earthshaking experience - I have sung for the Lord my entire life, and here I was, suffering through a crushing defeat. Finally, I went to an audiologist yesterday who was a musician too and understood how defeating it would be to be going deaf. He placed hearing aids over my ears, and it was literally the most overwhelming experience! I apologized for getting emotional, but to be able to suddenly hear just regular LIFE again was, in the greatest sense of the word: awesome. I didn’t want to take them off! In that brief moment, my life was changed.

As you probably already know, hearing issues are basically non-existent to Medicare and insurance companies. As the hearing aids I need are specific for my individual case, they will cost me $6000. totally out of pocket. For a brief moment today, I had a glimpse of hearing the world again, and it brought a flood of joy and happiness.

I thank you for reading this. And if I have ever brought a smile to your face, or warmed your heart in any way - or if you’d just consider helping this guy hear again - please consider donating toward my goal here. I love this world, and want to hear it again, and feel a sense of self again. Asking for help is never easy, and this is a first for me. As I said, I’m dealing with the physical constraints, but losing my hearing is daunting. Bless you for your donation, big or small.