‘Thankful’: Life-changing gift for local bus driver
AKRON, Ohio (WJW) — For nearly eight years, Robert Lyons has driven vans for the Akron Public School District, transporting students to and from schools.
Some are autistic and have special needs.
It is a job he said he absolutely loves.
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“The kids — they are amazing … But I probably have anywhere from five to 17 kids a day,” said Lyons.
But an annual physical revealed he barely passed a hearing test, and he’s worried that it might jeopardize his job.
“We have to hear the traffic, we have to hear the kids, we have to be aware of emergency vehicles, whatever is going on around us, the children, what they are saying also,” he said.
Lyons followed up with a hearing assessment with Dr. Eleni Santarelli of the HearingLife Hearing Center in Medina.
“I have partial hearing loss in my right ear. I was kind of aware of it because I wasn’t hearing low tones and she brought up — also, the doctor did — that kids speak in low tones. And between nine grandchildren and all the kids I drive, they all talk fast and their tones are low,” said Lyons.
Santarelli said: “We discovered he had some hearing loss and he was telling me how his hearing loss impacts his life and I made the recommendation, ‘OK, we need to get you fit for some hearing aids.'”
The challenge for Lyons, however, was affording a new pair. On his own, he said he realized getting a pair of hearing aids was a “no-go.”
“He has some children that he interacts with daily who have special needs, whether that might be a communication disability or some type of intellectual disability, and I just knew for his safety, but also for the safety of the children, we needed to do something,” said Santarelli.
At a time when many school districts are in need of as many drivers as they can get, keeping one behind the wheel seems an important priority.
“I nominated him for our program through the Campaign for Better Hearing, which is a national organization that HearingLife partners with. This is how we are able to gift hearing aids to really deserving people,” said Santarelli.
The program uses proceeds from every hearing appointment, whether hearing aids are purchased or not, to be used to provide the hearing aids.
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Santarelli said she was excited to learn that Lyons was chosen as a recipient.
“Actually, when I found out he won, I had tears in my eyes. I was really really excited for him, because he’s a really deserving individual,” she said.
“The next thing I know, I get a phone call saying I got a grant for a $6,000 or $7,000 pair of hearing aids. … Speechless,” said Lyons.
On Thursday, he was fitted for the new hearing aids and said he really never appreciated what he was missing.
“I’m thankful, very thankful. I feel like I can do my job better. I can be a better grandpa, a better father. Those are my go-to’s in life,” said Lyons.
He recommends anyone who feels they have hearing loss should have it checked and do whatever they can to improve it.
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