Hearing is one of the five precious senses we take for granted, and it certainly wouldn’t occur to those of us who have no hearing problem that one day, right out of the blue, we could lose our hearing.
That’s what happened to longtime Hampden resident and committed community volunteer Bill Burke while working at the Verso mill in Bucksport in late August.
According to information Bill provided that also has been included on the SAD 22 website, Bill noticed a change in his hearing while at work. It was such a strange sensation, which grew increasingly worse quite suddenly, that he asked a co-worker to drive him to the hospital.
By the time Bill got to the hospital, he was completely deaf.
After being evaluated by doctors here who were, according to Bill, “uncertain why I lost my hearing so rapidly,” Bill was advised that he might be a good candidate for a cochlear implant.
Bill and his wife, Marti Burke, made plans to travel in mid-November to Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston to learn whether that surgery could help him.
The good news, after the trip, is that it has been determined that Bill is eligible for two cochlear implants, he told me in an e-mail.
“Dr. Daniel Lee felt that my case was rare,” Bill said. “It is more common for [a] virus, if that is in fact what happened, to take one ear, but to affect both was unfortunate and rare.
“There are a couple more days of testing ahead, then March is the expected date for the first ear. With cochlear implants, it is about a month after the implant is placed before they turn it on. Then they will proceed with the second ear.
“Being eligible for two cochlear implants is as good as it gets,” Bill added, “and we were so thankful for that hope.”
The cochlear implants, Bill said, will cost about $100,000 per ear, for which his insurance will pay 90 percent.
In the meantime, because of his hearing loss, Bill is unable to work.
So before their trip to Boston, community members decided it was time to give back something to this couple who has been involved in supporting SAD 22 athletics for 25 years, along with participating in other activities ranging from Project Graduation to the Hampden Academy Boosters and Bill’s service as treasurer for the SAD 22 Education Foundation.
That “giving back” came in the form of a benefit dinner, raffle and auction in early November at Jeff’s Catering in Brewer that raised more than $10,000 to help Bill and his family with the additional expenses they are incurring because of his condition.
For that outpouring of support, the Burkes are most appreciative.
Bill wrote for their friends and family that he “can’t begin to tell you how grateful my family and I are for the overwhelming support we experienced” during the fundraiser.
“It was hard and humbling to be on the receiving end but appreciated more than we can express,” he said. “We want to thank everyone who participated in this fundraiser, including those who planned, gave, prayed, attended, bussed tables, donated, put up posters and just made us feel loved.”
While remaining positive about the outcome of the procedures that lie ahead for Bill and recognizing “there are a lot of hoops left to jump through, we feel we are not going it alone,” Bill wrote.
“I am hopeful and, as a family, we are trusting God for the outcome.”
To read the complete story about Bill’s experience that is on the SAD 22 website, visit www.sad22.us, scroll down under the photos to “District News,” go to the December 2010 issue of LINK 22 and then to “Click here to view.”
Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; javerill@bangordailynews.com; 990-8288.