Amid the sparkle of the Super Bowl, the festivities of the FBR Open and the barrage of late-night, celebrity-studded parties, about 200 Arizona children waited last Wednesday for their turn to receive free hearing aids at the Phoenix Convention Center. Sponsors including Discount Tire and Olevia picked up the tab, estimated at $1 million, for updated hearing devices.

The foundation, headquartered in Minnesota, partners with big events to raise awareness about hearing health. Starkey has issued hearing aids at the Daytona 500, and plans to do the same with events scheduled at the Grammy Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles and the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 17 in New Orleans.

Debbie Wright, executive director of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, said the hearing missions open doors for people who otherwise might go through life without the ability to hear. The foundation gives the hearing aids to families in financial need.

Hepner and her husband, Jonathan, fit the criteria. The Tucson couple have two biological children, and within the past year, adopted three hearing-impaired children from Ethiopia and China.

Jonathan, a physical therapist, is deaf. Lisa does not have a hearing impairment. She works weekends as a sign-language interpreter.

Milan Hepner, 4, was using hearing aids the family had on loan that needed to be returned. Amira had no hearing aids; audiologists had told the family she would not benefit from them.

Mei Li, 2, had two hearing aids.

The cost to fit the three kids with six hearing aids would reach into the thousands. Hepner, 36, said she and her husband did not know how they were going to afford it.

Then they heard through their children's schools that they had been selected to participate in the Starkey Hearing Foundation mission.

"I bawled my eyes out," Lisa Hepner said.

The family talked about the new hearing aids for days before traveling to Phoenix for the event, which also was attended by former NFL players and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Valley resident Sam Moore.

Each of the special guests had planned to say a little something about the impact of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, or how hearing loss has affected their lives. But they didn't say anything.

Any prepared speeches were scrapped in favor of moving kids through the system to get their hearing aids faster.

Amira sat patiently as Milan was fitted for his and moved on to the next station. She watched as Mei Li squirmed, cried and fought off doctors as they tried to fit her tiny ears.

Once the toddler understood what they were doing, she relaxed and clapped.

Amira smiled and showed a photographer her new hearing aids once they were put in her ears, turning her head and pointing to each one. Once they were turned on, Amira was unable to describe the feeling.

She knew she liked it. It just took some getting used to.

"Are you scared?" Hepner asked, signing.

Amira nodded yes. She used her hands to tell her mom that she wanted to watch a movie when she got home.

Hepner laughed, then asked her to say "mom."

Amira tried and smiled.

"She can hear her own voice," Hepner said.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/arizonaliving/articles/0206hearingaids0206.html