In October 1996, Ear Gear founder Mark Rosal’s daughter Shameera was born. Soon after, he and his wife started to realize that she was not meeting developmental milestones. Testing revealed that she had a rare chromosome abnormality called partial Trisomy 18 in addition to a moderate hearing loss which was eventually diagnosed at the age of two. Visits to the audiologist resulted in behind the ear hearing aids which was surely the answer to all of their problems.
Not so fast!
A new set of problems - keeping these new, and expensive, devices on Shameera’s ears.
As a typical toddler, she loved to play, run around, and her tender skin was chafing because of the hearing aids. She didn’t want to wear them. They were uncomfortable and annoying. However, it's critical that children wear their hearing instruments as much as possible.
One day at grandma’s house, she had been playing pirate and hid them - very well. The hearing aids were now buried pirate treasure.
Those hearing aids needed to stay on her little ears so developmental milestone could be met. Mark searched and searched spent money on different types of hearing aid retention clips but nothing worked well enough.
He then decided to make a spandex sleeve that fits over the hearing instrument. The sleeve needed to be durable, water resistant, and comfortable. In his daughter's case, the sleeve needed a clip so it could be attached to the clothing by a cord. The locking clip needed to be strong enough that little fingers could not undo it and so it could not easily fall off during another game of "Hide the Pirate Treasure".
The spandex sleeve, cord and clip would have to be something functional yet fashionable enough for people of all ages to wear. Remember, Ear Gear was being designed for a little girl, and they can be pretty particular when it comes to fashion!
With several colors available in each Ear Gear model along with the custom options, customers have the ability to mix and match, complement ear mold colors, and personalize the hearing aid covers.
By wanting to protect his daughter's hearing aids from damage and loss, Mark created not only a necessary hearing aid accessory but what has become a fashion statement to many.
Since 2005, he has stood by the product, as a durable hearing aid protection and retention device by offering a 1-year unconditional guarantee. If you don't like the color, the fit, or if the product has been damaged, there are no questions asked. Simply return the product for a full refund.
At Ear Gear, we treat our customers like family. Mark knew firsthand the struggles of finding a solution for hearing aid retention problems. That's why Ear Gear was created and why we will always put customers first.
