Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Earthquake gives US man his hearing back

For Robert Valderzak of Washington, D.C., Tuesday's earthquake was a miracle. Ever since he fell and fractured his skull on Father's Day, 75-year-old Valderzak had suffered severe hearing loss. But after the 5.8 quake, he could hear everything.

"It was God's blessing," Valderzak said, his voice shaking with emotion. "It was a miracle for me." Valderzak was visiting with his daughter and three sons when the quake rattled D.C.'s Veterans Affairs Hospital, where he is battling cancer.


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"It shook me terrible - right out of the bed," said Valderzak. "But after that it stopped. And my son talked to me, and I could hear his voice." Tests confirmed Valderzak's significant hearing improvement. But his doctors think they have a medical explanation for the "miracle."

"He had conductive hearing loss, caused by fluid in his middle ear, as well as loss due to nerve damage," said Dr. Ross Fletcher, chief of staff at the VA Hospital. "A combination of a drug he was taking and the earthquake event itself likely led to him losing the fluid and gaining back his hearing."

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