Do you hear what I hear?

By MERI R. KENNEDY
Posted 12/19/18

By MERI R. KENNEDY Just weeks before Christmas, Gloria Montecalvo, 89, of Cranston, received the gift of hearing by The Beltone Hearing Center which is now located at 478 Reservoir Ave. Montecalvo, a patient of Mark Zarrella who is the Hearing Instrument

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Do you hear what I hear?

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Just weeks before Christmas, Gloria Montecalvo, 89, of Cranston, received the gift of hearing by The Beltone Hearing Center which is now located at 478 Reservoir Ave.

Montecalvo, a patient of Mark Zarrella who is the Hearing Instrument Specialist at Beltone, was in desperate need of new hearing aids. She has Vascular Parkinson’s, which can mimic Parkinson’s disease.  

When he first heard of Montecalvo’s needs, Zarrella decided he could not sit idly by without helping his patient, so he decided to step in and apply to the Beltone Hearing Care Foundation on her behalf to see if he could get her approved for new hearing aids.

"My part of this Beltone Foundation is in delivering the best possible hearing devices for our recipient and providing ongoing care and counseling to ensure he or she is hearing as best as possible,” said Zarrella. “This is much more than a small gesture of generosity, rather it is an opportunity to help someone improve the quality of their life and of the lives of those around them.”

A very emotional letter from Montecalvo’s daughter Linda Montecalvo, was included with the application. In it, she wrote, “I am writing on behalf of my mother, Gloria Montecalvo. She is 89 years old. She had a hearing test on Aug. 31, performed by Mark Zarrella and was told she has moderate to severe hearing loss and he gave us options on different pricing. My mom has insurance and we thought she had some coverage towards the cost of the aids, but there is no benefit. We could not afford them,” she said.

Zarrella is known as a warm, caring person with a heart of gold. When there’s someone in need, nothing stands in his way to help them and that includes going above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to his patients.

“In helping Montecalvo by improving the quality of her life, we are putting her back into meaningful conversations with her family and friends provides which provides a catalyst of contagious positive emotions that are compounded by the number of people she meets daily. This is especially important now during the holiday season as families get together to share stories and reflect on the years past, " said Zarrella.

Linda Montecalvo’s prayers were answered as her mother was approved by the Foundation. She was fit with new hearing aids on Dec. 13.

“This Foundation gives us a new path to achieve this mission by helping deserving individuals and organizations in their communities enrich their quality of life,” said Michael Andreozzi, CEO of Beltone New England.

“The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, donates hearing aids to those who are in need and are unable to access them. Both individuals and organizations are eligible to receive assistance from the Foundation through direct nominations to Beltone or at one of its 1,500 locations across North America,” said Zarrella.

"In participating with the Beltone Foundation we not only help the recipient but the hundreds of people they interact with each day, week month and year. Personally, after watching the reaction of the recipient hear better and the reaction of those around her provides me with a sense of satisfaction and self-worth. It validates my purpose in life,” said Zarrella.

As for Montecalvo? “I am looking forward to not only hearing family and friends during Christmas and already my life has changed, from the moment the hearing aids were placed,” she said.

“We are thrilled to be able to help Gloria Montecalvo, obviously a person who is truly deserving and who needed our assistance in a huge way,” said Andreozzi.

Throughout its 78-year history, Beltone has helped enrich the quality of life for countless hearing-impaired individuals in the United States and around the world. By combining new technologies and superior care, the Beltone Hearing Care Foundation will give more people the opportunity to hear. For more information visit www.beltone.com.

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