ORLANDO, Fla. – An actor, a bodybuilder and the Incredible Hulk, Lou Ferrigno has been a lot of things throughout his life. Now, he is sharing his experiences with hearing loss.
“When I was 4 years old, my parents would clap their hands and I wouldn’t respond. I had 85% hearing loss,” Ferrigno told News 6. “My whole life was a struggle. I was introverted, I had a severe speech impediment.”
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Ferrigno wore hearing aids for a lot of his life but still had to work on issues with his speech, even though he would struggle hearing himself. It wasn’t until he got a cochlear implant that he was able to better hear himself.
“These last few years have been life-changing,” he told News 6 anchor Julie Broughton. “I feel like I’ve been reborn, I can hear so many things I’ve never heard before, including my own speech.”
These things Ferrigno heard for the first time after he got his implant include a car engine running outside his house and his grandchildren crying upstairs.
After years of wearing a traditional hearing aid, Ferrigno said his hearing began to decline, the hearing aids he was using weren’t loud enough and he was looking for a better option. He spoke to a friend who lost their hearing and was able to get it back to 90% after getting an implant.
“He finally convinced me to do it, and I should have done it 10 years ago and it’s astronomical,” Ferrigno said.
Sensorineural deafness is a kind of hearing loss that occurs as a result of nerve damage and for those who experience it, hearing aids may not be the most effective. You can see if your hearing aids are the most effective choice for you by clicking here.