In June of 2017, Braden’s dog, Chewy, ate his hearing aids!
After his parents lectured him on the importance of taking better care of them since they can be quite expensive (insurance does not cover his), Braden decided to do something about it. Being a huge Ellen fan, he asked himself, “what would Ellen do?” Braden then launched a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising money for people who can’t afford hearing aids. He advertised the campaign on his mom’s Facebook page. Little did he know that this small idea would fuel some huge outcomes in the months to follow.
Since Braden wears Oticon hearing aids, it was a natural choice to choose The Oticon Hearing Foundation as the recipient of his funds.
This relationship has allowed him to supply hearing instruments to not only individuals in the United States, but in other parts of the world. He is especially proud to have set up a local relationship with the pediatric audiology department at Cook Children’s hospital to ensure that children who are unable to afford hearing aids now have an option to receive them via his relationship with Oticon. He has also started a relationship with the Fort Worth ISD where he hopes to provide hearing aids to local students when the need arises.
Braden has been able to travel with the Entheos Audiology Hearing The Call Missions group to not only Guatemala, but most recently to Zambia, Africa. Over 200 people have received new hearing devices thanks to his efforts.
Braden is now very proud to be an ambassador for not only Oticon, but for Entheos Hearing The Call nonprofit as well.
Dr. Kamal Elliot, an Entheos member, was the first to inform Braden about a “hearing smile” and was able to show him his very first one while traveling with this amazing group of audiologists. He knows they are the true heroes in the hearing-impaired world.
The connections he’s made with other hearing impaired children and various people and groups has been unbelievable. He’s even started a campaign with his own slogan of, “find your purpose and do something with it.”
After appearing on the Ellen show in October of 2017, the outpouring of support not just financially, but emotionally has been huge in recognizing and acknowledging the needs of the hearing impaired community. Braden’s GoFundMe campaign is now at over $107,000! There is still more work to be done and people to serve… he’s not done yet!
