Hopeful resident creates Gofundme page to raise money for a hearing aid

Twenty-year-old Massey Vanier graduate and TBL resident Benjamin Burrill has been dealt a difficult hand and is now reaching out to the community for help through a Gofundme page to raise money to purchase a hearing aid.

In September 2019, Burrill was diagnosed with a benign Acoustic Neuroma tumour on his left side which had been spotted back in 2014 but was thought to be a nerve due to its small size. By the time doctors caught it, it had grown large enough to cause serious damage to Burrill’s hearing. If it had been left untouched for another year it would have caused guaranteed deafness and paralysis on that side of his face.

It is incredibly rare for someone as young as Burrill to have developed that kind of tumour.

“I was very scared but also optimistic, I just kept thinking it was going to be okay.”

After undergoing successful treatment to eliminate and prevent the tumour from continuing to grow, Burrill has still been left with permanent damage to his hearing.

Burrill explained that every day is a struggle for him due to his hearing loss.

“I have trouble hearing somebody when they talk,” he elaborated, “If they talk to me and I don’t see them, I can’t tell what side they’re on.”

“Even looking at them, I have to ask them what they’re saying,” he added. Phone calls also pose difficulties.

“All the work is being done by my right ear,” he continued, and mentioned an instance when sirens were passing nearby and with his hearing loss he could not tell which way they were coming from, nor judge how far they were until they passed him.

COVID-19 and insurance woes have added a layer of difficulty to Burrill’s situation.

He explained that hearing aids are only covered by the ‘Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec’ (RAMQ) if two aids are required. Since Burrill only requires one, they are not helping him out.

The hearing aid will run him about $2,000.

“I’ve been putting money aside, whenever I have change I have a big container I put it in and I’ve been doing some odd jobs for people and getting paid for that,” he explained, “I put as much as I can aside.”

“Because of COVID, I was short on work,” he continued, “I’ve been trying to find a job to help me.”

Burrill mentioned that Dawn Singfield was the one that encouraged him to start the Gofundme page.

“I was going to handle it myself,” he explained, “She suggested it and said there’s always people in this area willing to help.”

This rings true and Burrill was surprised and grateful when $500 was raised in eight hours of the fundraiser. There is still a long way to go for Burrill to reach his goal.

He mentioned that he can pay for the hearing aid in two installments.

“I’m close to the first half of the payment,” he said.

He emphasized the toll that his hearing loss takes on his mental health and is eager to get the hearing aid and feel happier that I can hear better.

Burrill recently had the opportunity to try on hearing aids while speaking with an audioprothesist.

“They actually worked very well! could hear so much better.”

He added that talking to people about his situation creates awareness “for the struggle it can be for a hearing aid. It all depends on your situation, health and environment.”

Benjamin Burrill’s Gofundme page can be found at https://gf.me/u/ywg49v and he is very optimistic that it will help him regain a better quality of life.

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