By Allison Smith
Herald Intern
Pete Zeitler was told that he was having a hearing test on Jan. 30, but he was completely surprised by his family when he realized that he would receive the Gift of Hearing.
Altamonte Family Hearing partnered with ReSound GN and the Gift of Hearing Foundation to give a free pair of premium hearing aids to Zeitler, a cancer survivor. Zeitler had undergone 30 rounds of chemotherapy and beat cancer, but he had lost 80% of his hearing in his right ear and 20% in his left ear.
The hearing aids that were donated to Zeitler are Vivia AI-powered rechargeable Bluetooth hearing aids, and all the follow-up appointments are paid for. Jaysee A. Soto H.A.S, B.C.-H.I.S, also known in the community as “The Bald Hearing Guy” said, “We are donating all of our services. This person is not going to pay a penny.” Soto said, “There’s no bait and switch. It is 1000% free.”
“We always hear of people in the community that cannot afford their care because Medicare doesn’t cover hearing aids,” Soto said, “I lost my parents to cancer in 2020 and 2023, so reading about Pete, I was like ‘this is my guy.’ I want to help them.” Soto’s personal connection with Zeitler's experience inspired him and his whole office for the nomination.
“Not only are they going to get this thing, but we’re going to make sure this thing is going to work for five or six years.” Soto said, stating that all follow-up appointments would be free until the hearing aids wear out. “Normally these things last for five or six years, and this is something this person is going to need for the rest of their lives,” Soto said, “If the family can prepare financially, then at that point I’m confident that they would also do business with us at that point.”
After two hours of examining and thorough hearing tests, Zeitler was fitted with his new hearing aids. “Right now, things are extremely more clear than I’ve heard in the last five years.” Zeitler said, hearing things clearly for the first time since his chemotherapy four-and-a-half-years ago. “I feel like when I’m having a conversation with people I don’t have to keep saying ‘What’ now.”
Zeitler said that this was his fifth hearing test in over four-and-a-half-years, and when he was told he would receive the Gift of Hearing, he was overwhelmed. “About seven or eight months ago, maybe a little longer, one of my hearing aids broke. And I started research, and I was blown away by how expensive everything was,” Zeitler said, “Now it’s like starting all over again with what I couldn’t afford to buy when I originally got my hearing aids. So, it’s incredible.”
Zeitler enjoys long bike rides while listening to music, and he looks forward to these Bluetooth hearing aids improving those rides. “I’ve got, like, 35 playlists downloaded on my Spotify account, and I like a tremendous number of different types of music,” Zeitler said, “Music is really important to me, because I do 30-to-35-mile bike rides and I listen to the music the whole way.” Zeitler said, “In the past if I’m listening to it in the car, or in a speaker at home, the highs were extremely high, and the resonance wasn’t really good. Now, I feel like that’s all going to change, so I’m excited for that.”
Zeitler also mentioned that he looked forward to sitting in a restaurant with his family. In the past, Zeitler said he couldn’t understand a word of the conversation. “In the last four or five years I haven't enjoyed going down to a restaurant with the family because I just sit there and smile,” Zeitler said, “I couldn’t decipher the conversation because of all the noise. It wasn’t enjoyable. So, now I can actually participate and be a part of what's going on. So, I’m looking forward to that.”
“Let's go get a burger,” Zeitler said. “I haven't had one in four-and-a-half-years.”
