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'I'm thankful': Ohio bus driver receives life-changing hearing aids for free

Bob Lyon drives the bus for kids with autism at Akron Public Schools. Thanks to a grant from HearingLife, he is able to hear clearly for the first time in years.

AKRON, Ohio — A bus driver for children with autism at Akron Public Schools received a special gift on Thursday. 

Bob Lyons loves his job, but just barely passed his hearing test. He was worried that he would not be able to hear emergency sirens or communicate properly with the kids on the bus. Bob has also stepped up to care for his grandchildren, but found that his hearing loss was limiting his ability to communicate with them. 

So Bob decided to look into hearing aids, but unfortunately they were a little too expensive. 

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That's when HearingLife stepped in. Through their "Campaign for Better Hearing," Bob was able to take advantage of a grant that provided him free hearing aids. 

At the HearingLife Center in Medina on Thursday morning, Bob was fitted for his free hearing aids by Dr, Eleni Santarelli. 

Bob is very excited to once again fully engage with the world around him. He also reflected on the importance of proper treatment for hearing loss.

"Self-care and taking care of yourself. If you feel like you have some hearing loss or you need to go to a doctor, you got to trust them and you got to go. You got to go. I'm thankful, very thankful. I feel like I can do my job better," he told us.

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