Isolated

Yesterday I received a call from a woman who wanted to schedule a hearing test for her mother.  We will call her Maggie.

Maggie is in her eighties and has never had her hearing tested.  She is blind and extremely hard of hearing.  Her condition is isolating her from the rest of the world.  

Her son-in-law wheeled her in (she was in a wheelchair) and I tried to carry on a conversation with her.  She was not hearing me.  Her eyes were glazed over and there was no response to any of my questions to her.  

"You have to get down close to her ear and speak,"  the daughter said.  "She can't hear you."  

When I checked her ears they were totally occluded with earwax so I sent her up the road to a walk-in clinic to get them cleaned out before going forward with the test.  

When she came back, she was hearing a little better, but still....  a huge deficit in her hearing.  After testing her and putting a set of hearing aids in her ears, we were able to carry on a conversation with her.  

I now know that she had cake for breakfast and that she wasn't sure what was for dinner.  Her eyes showed life and she laughed at my jokes.  

Her family and I were elated.  

This day is a reminder that God has richly blessed me with the opportunity, skills and tools that can make a difference in the lives of others.  

Each morning I unlock the door and walk into my office (which is an extension of our home),  I feel so very grateful.