Rebel Hostage

A little over a month ago I went through the misfortune of a major deterioration in my hearing And this made me even more dependent on my hearing aids, particularly for making phone calls and accessing voicemails, which are quite common in apps like Messenger and WhatsApp.

Before that, my hearing loss was classified as only "moderate," and I confess that I didn't know how "good" that was, despite being bad: sometimes I could even afford to do activities without using hearing aids, because the sensation was (only) that of having a pillow around my head, and even with muffled sounds and incomprehensible voices, the sounds of the environment were distinct… especially and pleasantly, music.
Now, even with great effort, I can't hear my own voice, breathing, or pulse, let alone most of the sounds in the environment!

THE DELIGHTS OF HEARING TECHNOLOGY

This text should be considered the official sequel to the episode narrated in “Providence 2”"And yes, I went to work as Assistant Manager of Event Services at the Rio 2016 Olympic Committee: faced with the responsibility, I unearthed my (practically useless) Rexton Cobalt+ to avoid being a completely alienated deaf person, but the hearing aids had been stored and deactivated for so long that in less than a month of use they started to malfunction, making short-circuit noises... sometimes they even stopped working without warning!"

Since that job was paying quite well—money is a serious matter—and my role in the games required thorough advance planning of operations and human resources, it would have been impossible to consider taking time off to resolve this: I had great difficulty accessing the speech therapist I had acquired the services from, both because of her schedule and the locations where she worked, not to mention the strong suspicion that she was treating me unwillingly… so I decided it was time to seek assistance elsewhere, with someone else.

By the grace of God and the efficiency of Google's search mechanisms, I ended up, among the options researched, contacting Diogo Fleming, from CADI, which, due to its relative proximity to my workplace, seemed to be the best option for carrying out anything related to prosthetics.

Finally, however liberal the Committee's work-by-objectives policy might intend to sound, one thing I will highlight in a future text is the uncomfortable perception people have of when we need to be absent from work to resolve issues during "working hours," for whatever reason, no matter how well you master your tasks... and on that afternoon in May, before leaving the MPC, I took care to print all the reports in advance and hand them to my manager in a folder… and even that didn't stop my boss, already some distance away and about to go down the escalator, from yelling for the whole floor to hear: “Come back soon!”, as if I were leaving for a movie or some other kind of recreational activity.
Being deaf isn't exactly an advantage, but at least I could pretend I didn't hear anything and keep walking as if I hadn't heard it.
Only now, in my old age, am I learning to deal with this strong feeling of anticipatory guilt: I spent the whole journey feeling the weight of acting as if I were stealing something from someone…

Upon arriving at the doctor's office and presenting my problem, I was immediately "broken" when, with a smile, Dr. Diogo informed me that the device would have to be sent to São Paulo for repairs, and that left me stunned: how would I interact at work during that period? Would this mean the end of my Olympic activities?

While I was suffering in anticipation of these additional issues, the doctor looked seriously at the very recent audiometry test I had done during the admission process and, before I could formulate any questions, simply said that while the prosthesis was being serviced he would… lend me another one that was worth “only” at least THREE TIMES MORE than the defective one!!!
Then I panicked: what if this treasure jewel causes some kind of problem? What if there's a robbery when I pass through Cidade de Deus? What if my corrosive sweat destroys these pearls… how will I be able to pay for this if I just started a job precisely with the intention of paying off a heavy debt I incurred when acquiring the previous one?

After struggling for a few moments against this intense storm of questions, the first question I managed to formulate was: and when do I come to borrow this device?
It can be now!
I can imagine the wide-eyed look I must have given him, but if I did, at least I didn't scare the doctor, who promptly started taking the little boxes to open them, extracting the brand-new hearing aids, connecting them to the computer via some special cables (which I, also an IT technician, had never seen before), programming my audiometry in specialized software, carefully placing the devices in my ears and, with everything in position, began asking questions about the quality of my hearing through these new hearing aids: Is it metallic? Is there too much noise? Is there feedback? And this other way… is it better?

Almost an hour after my arrival, I left there completely dazed, using a Rexton Emerald S40 fully adjusted to my disability and, operating on autopilot, I drove back to work: only after passing Cidade de Deus, still under the Linha Amarela overpass, did I notice a high-pitched, repetitive noise… tic, tic, tic…
It was the car's turn signal!
After two years without hearing it, I suddenly realized how deaf and neglected I had truly been all this time… and tears began to roll down my face, returning against my will with each nuanced sound I recognized again, with each new-old noise I perceived… how good it was to hear again!

Almost an hour after my arrival, I left there completely dazed, using a Rexton Emerald S40 fully adjusted to my disability and, operating on autopilot, I drove back to work: only after passing Cidade de Deus, still under the Linha Amarela overpass, did I notice a high-pitched, repetitive noise… tic, tic, tic…
It was the car's turn signal!
After two years without hearing it, I suddenly realized how deaf and neglected I had truly been all this time… and tears began to roll down my face, returning against my will with each nuanced sound I recognized again, with each new-old noise I perceived… how good it was to hear again!

On that day, May 19, 2016, full of adventures and emotions, I also arrived at two conclusions:
1. My first speech therapist was a mercenary pirate, only interested in pushing an extremely expensive product that she never even adjusted, which is why I heard so poorly and, discouraged, I didn't even use the hearing aid: because of people like that, anyone's health can get worse!
2. The leader's role is, indeed, to be obstacle to subordinates, and consequently, the role of subordinates, the good ones at least, is to overcome such challenges with as much grace as possible: I had barely entered the office when my manager approached with an expression of agony and urgency, questioning some crucial information that I should have provided so that he could present it at a meeting with other, even higher-ranking managers who were all around his desk, looking at me with a condemning expression…
Smiling (yes, a smile of the most caustic acidity), I walked to his desk, searched for the folder I had so carefully handed him before leaving (and which was now buried under sketches of the facilities), put on a serious face as I looked inside (what a damn actor I am sometimes: I really wanted them to think I failed!), and suddenly pulled out two sheets of paper and— voilà! — it was precisely the updated lists they wanted me to have not prepared so they could plead my incompetence!
It wasn't magic or technology: it was a bit of inattention on his part and, without being immodest, my own competence. (In a future post I'll reveal that all of this was orchestrated by someone simply bothered by my existence…)
I am already deaf and therefore likely to miss some details explained orally, which is why, as a leader, I always pay close attention to subordinates who report back after completing their assigned tasks: first, to verify if it was indeed performed satisfactorily (and, if not, what the reason was; always taking the appropriate steps) and second, to ensure that part is fully integrated into the whole!

Does the honeymoon end so quickly?

The old device did come back from repair, but besides not covering the same sound range as the new one, it soon began to make strange noises and malfunction for no apparent reason: it was a prosthesis that was used very little, but even so, it began to "die" approximately two years after being unpacked... and at that point I wasn't even considering the issue of... planned obsolescenceI did everything I could, learned about the Banco do Brasil's accessibility loan, and met all the requirements to get it, with interest rates well below market rates, and pay off the cost of almost 10,000 reais in 60 installments.

By a twist of fate, I agreed to buy an S60 for two hundred reais more instead of an S40, but at the time of purchase the manufacturer only had S80 devices available, and in the end, that's what I ended up with. And, in an extremely generous promotion, I also got a powerful accessory called "Smart Connect," which uses Bluetooth audio technology to, among other things, enable access to media and phone calls without even needing to handle the cell phone.
I used to call it a "magic necklace" because it also allowed me to adjust the volume and change the usage profile — automatic, noisy environments, music… — just by touching its buttons, and when paired with my cell phone, it even had the power to check the battery charge and provide more appropriate sound direction depending on the situation, such as an important conversation in the middle of a noisy environment.

Working, with new equipment and accessories… everything perfect?
Almost: despite the winter being quite pleasant, some activities like test events and meetings sometimes required us to walk long distances… how about walking from the MPC to simulate public access to the Maria Lenk Park?

Finally, those were intense and unforgettable days preparing for the world's biggest sporting event (and I will certainly post more about what I experienced and learned), but they were also days of a lot, a lot of sweat that seeped into my "magic necklace," corroded its circuits, and made its functioning intermittent until the day it finally failed during the Paralympic Games.
Once again, because it was under warranty, my dear speech therapists quickly arranged for a replacement and determined that this technological marvel should always be worn over any clothing I was wearing… never underneath!

I tried to get this replacement part through my speech therapist, but he couldn't find it either.
Finally, starting to get desperate, I tried another source, and the dialogue shown in the image exposes the manufacturers' "good intentions":

Yes, these cute little creatures want you to be forced to discard the entire product, regardless of your financial situation, even if the core is working perfectly, and buy a beautiful new set for a mere sum exceeding a thousand reais!!
Being held hostage by a company whose greed prevents you from communicating is a very frustrating feeling… and I'm not one to stay silent in the face of abuse: what is so special about this damn cable? Are these components really that rare and exclusive?

I remembered the time when, as a young child, I would go to my father's house and, along with my brother, we would burn our fingertips soldering little cables to connect the guitar to the speaker... I summoned all my knowledge of practical computing and systems analysis (which, by the way, I dropped in my third semester) and decided to tackle the seemingly complex case of the broken wire: I got in the car and went to talk to Vitão at his electronics store!
I explained the situation and, initially somewhat hesitant, he disconnected the cable, examined it closely, took measurements with the voltmeter… and then burst into laughter.
— Hey, this is just a regular cable!!!
He grabbed the soldering iron, redid the connections, and… the little thing was back to finding my devices perfectly!

— And where are the new plugs? The way they are now, they'll burst as soon as your son puts his hand in them!
Well, yeah... I didn't have any new plugs...
But the prospect of not only thwarting that manufacturer's greed, but also helping other people who might be going through a similar situation and—we're good people, but we also need to survive—being able to supplement our income made my eyes light up, and the next day, there I was, searching for those peculiar plugs in the electronics stores in my neighborhood!

Did I say peculiar? I think that's an understatement: the plugs are simply impossible to find! Not in the shops in my neighborhood, nor in those of neighboring neighborhoods!!!
That day I ended up discovering the lovely heat-shrink tubing that had been used that same day, because, in fact, the first thing my boy did when he saw the collar around my neck was to reach in and tear open the makeshift solder that had been applied.
I found the plug from a single seller on Mercado Livre and immediately ordered five! Now all I had to do was wait…

Unfortunately, summer arrived first, and not just any mild summer, but the very embodiment of hell called "Rio summer": a humid heat that feels like your skin is frying and, in my case, causes liters of unpleasant, caustic sweat to pour out even during the simple act of thinking, let alone exerting any effort!
And I, being a gentlemanly husband, decided to help my wife, a wedding planner, with a birthday party: it was just a matter of carrying a few things up to the rooftop and, once there, two more flights of stairs to where you could see the expanse of the horizon… and it was in front of that magnificent view, sweating like a pig in a steam sauna, that I decided to turn off my prosthetics, wash my hair, and take some time to relax and enjoy a forced silence…

While I was waiting, I remember thinking that with so many protective technologies already common (such as the IP68) and cutting-edge (like the brand new IP69KGiven that these technologies are already being used even in cell phones, why is hearing aid technology, whose products can cost more than some automobiles, built with such frustrating fragility?
Are industries being so unscrupulous as to exploit disabled people by depriving them of their most basic needs and manufacturing products that only function slightly beyond the warranty period?

So many suspicious things happened that I started to get sad, but during these musings I had time to clear my head and it was time to begin the little ceremony to which, after all, I was also invited: I put everything on and turned it on, went down a flight of stairs and at the exact moment I sat down next to my wife… my left device started making a short-circuit noise and stopped working!

I immediately removed the device, took the battery out and put it back in to see if it would work again: dead!
I took it off again, waited for about 10 minutes: the ceremony was going on beautifully and movingly, and I couldn't hear a thing, but at least I was clapping when the crowd applauded, laughing along without understanding why… a perfect extra, nervous enough to feel everything trembling inside!
I replaced the battery, put it in my ear, and could hear the glorious restart music; I sighed as it played, but as soon as it finished, the dreaded short circuit occurred again and the device shut down. I decided not to risk it anymore: it was a Saturday night and I was texting my beloved audiologist, and guess what? He replied!!!
He even offered to meet me the next day – that's right, on Sunday! – to help me: the gallery where the office is located wasn't even going to open, but he said he would get the key just to see me!!!
I felt important, but it would be tough to leave a party in Copacabana around 3 AM, go to the parallel dimension of Campo Grande, and return to Catete the next day: it's better if we just sort this out on Monday...

FRANKENSTEIN OF HEARING TECHNOLOGY

The ceremony ended and I was kind of panicking: I went to the party completely deaf and grumpy, and to make matters worse, my wife still hadn't fully grasped the extent of my deafness and, saying the music was great, even invited me to dance!!
Her cheerfulness was directly proportional to my discomfort: she wanted to relax and I was looking for a hole to crawl into…
She really didn't understand that I wasn't listening to ANYTHING, and when it finally dawned on her, I ended up with a story to tell at any motivational speech I give:
— Honey, look at the people dancing… the music is your favorite! Can't you be a little happy?
— Linda, look at that plane flying overhead: they're going to Europe! They have a wonderful first class where they're drinking Chardonnay and eating foie gras with toasted herbs… and you know what? I want everyone, those traveling and those dancing, to be very happy, but right now I feel like a eunuch in the middle of an orgy: seeing everyone happy, but without having the necessary equipment to participate in that happiness!
…and I ended up crying.
(No, I don't like orgies: I used a figure of speech called metaphor... huh?! No, nobody put it anywhere, neither inside, nor outside... and not even in the eunuch!!! No, there is no such thing as a eunuch finger... and stop looking at me like that!!!)

The text is already getting quite long, so I'm going to fast-forward: from the middle of the party onwards, my lip-reading skills suddenly improved – seriously! – and the night wasn't a complete disaster.
When I got home, I put the prosthesis in the dehumidifier and did about ten full sessions until Monday, when I went to the doctor's office and it was determined that I could only send it to São Paulo...
The dose of nervousness was so strong that it triggered a massive cold sore: vulnerable, me?! Totally!
Finally, on Monday, the plugs arrived, I managed to fix the Smart Connect induction cable, and it looks great!

All that's left now is for the device to return working from São Paulo so that we can finally know if at least the secret of this cable has been solved, and I can share the product of my rebellion with other deaf people who are going through a similar situation.

Finally, I invite you to like this post, like the website, like my pages on social media, and especially..., buy the shirts which I started creating based on my experiences since the depths of deafness engulfed me: the plan is to increase the visibility of oral deaf people and to be helped and to help those who cross my path.

A hug.