Everyday Heroes - Oticon

At street level it was a different story. It was like being thrown into
an inferno of noise; the sound of cars accelerating and beeping
combined with the sound of voices. And in the middle of it all,
a child began to cry loudly somewhere behind him. He turned
around to check whether his ears were deceiving him and found
that there was indeed a little girl, standing with her mother just a
few feet away.
When Eve came home, Mr Singh was watching the TV. He had
not turned the volume up, and she noticed immediately that something
was different. She looked at him quizzically. He pointed at
his right ear and told her all about his new hearing aids. She threw
her arms around him for the fi rst time in months, and didn’t seem
at all upset that he hadn’t told her of his plans.
In the beginning Mr Singh wore his devices for just a few hours
a day, so he could get used to all the new sounds gradually. And the
more he heard, the more he realised just how much he’d been missing.
Only after a month did he begin using them at work. It was a
liberating feeling, and it made an enormous difference. One morning,
he stopped and greeted some of the production workers on his
way to the offi ce, and asked them how things were going. They
answered, looking quite surprised. Mr Singh smiled as he continued
on his way.
A new internal ad for a production manager appeared. Mr Singh
thought about Michael and wondered how he was doing in his new
job. He suddenly felt the urge to call him and fi nd out. He had a
handy little device that automatically connected his hearing aids to
his mobile phone at the mere touch of a button. Soon, Michael’s
voice came through loud and clear in both ears. And Mr Singh was
surprised at how friendly and welcoming he was. Michael suggested
meeting at the bar around the corner for a quick after-work
drink.
The bar was full of people, many of them from work. Mr Singh
had not been there in years, but the place seemed much the same.
The music was fairly noisy but despite the noise, Mr Singh had no
problem following what Michael was saying. And what he told Mr
Singh about the job encouraged him to apply for the position. He
did not feel like waiting; he would speak to Mr. Didier forthwith
about the possibility of fi lling the vacant position.
That night Mr Singh and his wife had a few old friends over for
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