Meet siblings Ledger and Ezrie Kate! This brother/sister duo are both cochlear implant (CI) users. Ledger has a cochlear implant on one ear and a hearing aid on the other, and Ezrie Kate has a cochlear implant on each ear.

One of Ezrie Kate's sound processors in not working at all, leaving her to hear from only one ear. Statistics show that even a mild hearing loss can mean missing up to 50% of what is said, in a classroom setting!

Ezrie Kate's mom shared: "the inability of access to adequate hearing levels for Ezrie Kate has impacted her grades in school. She is struggling with spelling tests and reading and I truly believe this is due to her processor not working at all times."

Ledger and Ezrie Kate were implanted at very young ages--Ezrie Kate at one year of age and Ledger at age 3. The cochlear implant technology has enabled them to learn to speak and be mainstreamed in school.

Cochlear implant sound processors, similar to smart phone technology, need to be repaired, replaced, and upgraded throughout a CI user's lifetime.

As we all too often hear, their insurance company will not cover any of the critical equipment they need to keep their external sound processors functioning. For example, the insurance company will not pay for desperately needed repair or replacement of Ezrie Kate's non-working sound processor, nor will they pay for rechargeable batteries ($250 each) or cable/coils.

Since their insurance has denied covering rechargeable batteries, the family has been paying roughly $200 per month for disposable batteries.

This month, during "Better Hearing and Speech" month, let's come together as a community to ensure Ledger and Ezrie Kate can continue to thrive and be connected to the hearing world around them. Our goal is simple: to raise enough funds to provide the critical components they need to stabilize their hearing once again.

Your donation, no matter how small, will make a world of difference in the lives of Ledger and Ezrie Kate.

Let's empower them to continue their remarkable journey of hearing and learning. Your donation can make all the difference. Act now and be a part of their story!

At JLCIF, we believe the ability to hear should not depend on someone's ability to pay.

2024 National Speech-Language-Hearing Month Fundraiser

Help Ledger & Ezrie Kate regain stable hearing!