Six-month-old Aubrie is the daughter of Krista and her husband, Chris Lichty, and was born in October with moderate hearing loss. The Lichtys live in New Philadelphia and, in addition to Aubrie, have a 2-year-old named Briana.

Through talking to specialists soon after their baby was born, the Lichtys learned if Aubrie didn’t get hearing aids by the time she was 3 months old, she’d begin to experience developmental delays. But the hefty price tag for hearing aids – $1,200 each plus ongoing medical expenses – was too much for the one-income family to afford.

The Lichtys’ health insurance didn’t cover the expenses either, so Aubrie’s parents sought assistance through charities and agencies, only to be denied over and over. The family’s story was featured in a Times-Reporter article published in December that resulted in a community outpouring of support, including more than $7,500 in donations within just 24 hours.

Soon after, the Lichtys learned that with the help of Physicians Hearing & Balance Center in Dover, a hearing aid manufacturer had agreed to donate state-of-the-art hearing aids for Aubrie. But even though the family received the hearing aids for free, Krista Lichty said she wants people who donated to Aubrie’s fund to know the money won’t go to waste.

“There’s nothing we can say to thank the community for what they’ve given my child,” she said. “The money that’s there for her will be used for other medical expenses associated with her hearing loss as she grows.”

The tiny hearing aids are fitted to Aubrie’s unique ear shape and have to be remolded every two to three weeks because she grows so fast.

Her newest set of ear molds are pink – a color that surprised Lichty when she first saw it, she said.

“We thought they’d be a pretty baby pink color,” she said with a laugh. “When they came back a neon tie-dye kind of pink, we were kind of shocked.”

Lichty said Aubrie’s speech and learning development seem to be right on track for her age. Now that her hearing aids’ volumes have been adjusted for her unique needs, she’s started doing more vocalizing and localizing, or looking at people when they talk to her or turning when someone says her name.

“At the beginning of all of this it was really easy for me to think ‘poor me’ or ‘why me?’” Lichty said. “But going through this has made me realize that children with disabilities aren’t different, they just have something extra.”

Lichty has taken that newfound passion for children with hearing loss and formed a support group for families suffering from the disability. The group is named YNA, or You’re Not Alone, and is open to families who have children of any age who suffer from hearing loss. The group’s next meeting will be May 12 at 7 p.m. in Schoenbrunn Moravian Church.

“I just think it’s really important for families who are dealing with this challenge to have a network of support of other people who have gone through it,” she said. “I know how lonely and isolated you can feel.”

Lichty also is involved in organizing an advocacy group for children with hearing loss called CHAT or Children’s Hearing Advocates of Tuscarawas County. The group plans to start a program with donations from local businesses that will offer help to families through loaner hearing aids, support and financial assistance.

“There’s nothing like that in Tuscarawas County now,” Lichty said. “And I keep learning of more and more families who have this need, so something needs to be done.”

She said the group is beginning to ask local businesses for donations as well as plan fundraisers for the program.

The mother’s thankfulness to the community has also led her to begin a lending program she’s calling The Aubrie Lichty Lending Library, which will include educational books and toys parents can borrow to work with their children who have hearing loss.

“I want to do whatever I can to show the community how thankful we are for the opportunities they’ve given our daughter,” she said. “Through the support group and the advocacy group, we want to make Tuscarawas County a place that residents who are born with hearing loss can get the help and support they need and deserve.”

By J. Ann Tipton, Times Reporter
http://www.timesreporter.com/index.php?ID=53029&r=0