World heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker took his hearing for granted until he suffered a brutal blow to the head during a title fight. His tough opponent, Andy Ruiz, landed a punch so hard that the burly sports star went temporarily deaf in his left ear.
“It was a scary experience,” says the 25-year-old, who faced off against the American-Mexican fighter in 2016. “It made me feel isolated and distant from everyone – distant from the community and distant from friends and family. It made you appreciate being able to hear more.”
His frightening brush with hearing loss last year has inspired Joseph to get behind Bay Audiology’s Free to Ear project, an initiative which endeavours to restore hearing for those in need in Samoa.
With both his parents descending from the island nation, it’s a cause close to Joseph’s heart.
Joseph Parker has teamed up with Bay Audiology for their Free to Ear programme in Samoa.
“This will be the second year where they’ll be traveling over to Samoa to provide hearing checks and hearing aids to those that need it,” says Joseph.
“Both my parents were both born in Samoa – they moved here to New Zealand for a better future.”
While Joseph feels incredibly fortunate he had great access to doctors and audiologists in his time of need here in Aotearoa, in Samoa there are currently around 4000 people who have hearing issues with no qualified practitioners to treat them. He’s hoping by supporting the charity and spreading the word, Samoans will book an appointment and start their journey to better hearing health.
Kiwis can do their bit by donating any old or unused hearing aids to various Bay Audiology clinics around the country.
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