SWFL doctor gives gift of hearing to others in need

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Southwest Florida audiologist is “hearing the call” and making sure others do as well.

Dr. Noel Crosby, owner of Sarasota-based Advanced Hearing Solutions, and her team created a makeshift clinic on a hillside in Guatemala last week, bringing healthcare to those who normally don’t have easy access.

“We would go into these remote villages and provide services and we saw people… babies all the way up to 95 years old,” she said.

While some patients required cleaning, others were introduced to the world of sound.

“We fit some children that we think have had hearing loss since they were born and now they are hearing these sounds for the first time,” she said.

After placing the hearing aid on each patient, Crosby would wait to see their reaction to sounds for the first time, she said.

“It really makes me cry because I just think they have been so distant from people they love and the world, and now they’re reconnecting to the world or sometimes connecting for the first time,” she said.

Although her mission trip ended, her work is far from over.

After returning to Sarasota, Crosby plans to help patients who have trouble hearing, but can’t afford healthcare.