The recent East Coast earthquake that originated in Virginia, the rumblings of which were felt all the way up in New York City, not only cracked some stone in Washington D.C. and knocked some groceries from carefully decorated displays, but it also restored the hearing of Robert Valderzak, a cancer patient at D.C.’s Veteran Affairs Hospital, by unclogging fluid that was blocking his middle ear. Valderzak said:
“It shook me terrible — right out of the bed. But after that it stopped. And my son talked to me, and I could hear his voice.”
Tests confirmed that Valderzak gained a significant hearing improvement after going months with the hearing loss, and doctors at the hospital believe that a combination of medicine Valderzak was taking and the earthquake helped clear the fluid and restore his hearing. Valderzak adjusted to the hearing loss with a combination of special microphone and learning to read lips, and before the earthquake hit, his doctors ordered new high-powered hearing aids for him to wear, which are now turned to the lowest setting possible. Check out the news segment below.
(ABC News via The Daily What)
