Tonni Willis, 16, a junior at Reedsport High School, discusses how she lost most of the hearing in her left ear. - World Photo by Madeline Steege

Sixteen-year-old Tonni Willis is much like any other teenager. She likes talking on her cell phone and has a boyfriend. She loves playing basketball, volleyball, softball and singing in her church choir. As a junior at Reedsport High School, she gets good grades.

But Tonni is going through something that most teens won’t. She’s losing her hearing.

One night about five months ago, her left ear started hurting. She felt tremendous pressure and heard a pop. Within a few days, she had lost much the hearing in her left ear.  

The loss came without warning and without an apparent cause.

“I thought it was just plugged,” she said with a smile.

It wasn’t.

Thinking it was only temporary, and lacking health insurance, her parents, Diana and Clint Willis, waited about a month to see if her hearing came back.

It didn’t.

When school started this year, Tonni didn’t join the basketball team. She couldn’t hear the plays from her coach or teammates when they called to her, she said.  She also stopped singing in the choir because she couldn’t hear herself.  

“I love to sing,” she said. “I just don’t sing in front of people (anymore).”

Diana took her daughter to Dunes Family Health Care in Reedsport, where a doctor prescribed an antihistamine and nasal sprays to clear out her sinuses.

When the medications didn’t work, Diana took her to see Dr. Steven Shimotakahara at his monthly Missions in Health at First United Methodist Church in North Bend, which offers free basic care for those without insurance. He suggested a more in-depth examination at the South Coast Education Service District, an organization that provides a number of health services for 10 school districts along the South Coast.

The audiologist at the ESD determined Tonni had significant hearing loss, but could not explain why the teen suddenly lost her hearing, Diana said.

“Everything apparently looked fine,” she said.

Shimotakahara suggested a MRI to find out if a tumor was the cause of Tonni’s condition. Tonni’s grandfather had similar hearing loss following the discovery of a benign tumor back in the 1970s, Clint said. Shimotakahara sent a referral to Doernbecher Children's Hospital in Portland.

Diana was told the procedure would cost about $1,500. For a family without insurance, the price seemed insurmountable, she said.

Clint, 47, works for an automotive shop in Coos Bay. Following the death of his boss last month, his hours and pay were cut. Diana works part time as a caregiver for her mother, Helen Collop. She also works as a substitute for workers in the Reedsport School District, but the hours are few.

The Willises qualified for discounted care from Doernbecher based on their income and assets. The entire hospital bill is covered at 50 percent for medically necessary doctor’s treatments and 100 percent for the hospital care, Diana said.

In early December, the Willises made the drive to Portland for an initial examination. The family’s church, Highland Baptist in Reedsport and the Lower Umpqua Ministerial Association donated money to help cover the food, gas and motel expenses while in Portland. At Doernbecher, Tonni met with Dr. Carol MacArthur, who finally diagnosed her condition as sensori-neural hearing loss.

Sensori-neural hearing loss can be caused by a number of reasons, said Kit Rainey, director of special education at ESD. Disease, family history, high fever, long periods of loud noise, a tumor, or loud music played from music players — including iPods — could cause the condition.

Audiologists have seen a rise in hearing damage in young people in recent years, he said.  When music is played very loudly, it damages little hairs in the ear known as cilia. He likened the cilia to the bristles on a toothbrush. When the bristles are worn, they don’t work efficiently. Cilia work in much the same way, he said. When cilia are damaged from loud noises, they stop working, resulting in irreversible hearing loss.    

“(Kids) are burning the hearing right out,” he said.

It’s unusual for hearing loss from loud music to only affect one ear and he doesn’t know the conditions surrounding Tonni’s hearing loss.

While the condition may be irreversible, with the use of an implanted hearing aid, it may be possible for Tonni to regain some of her hearing, Diana said.

The family made another trek to Doernbecher for the MRI, but the results won’t be available until Jan. 15, Diana said. In the meantime, Tonni continues to experience headaches, but her hearing loss hasn’t worsened.

Tonni is taking the last few months pretty much in stride.  

“I try not to think about it,” she said.

But her mom is a little more concerned, both about her daughter and the travel and treatment costs.

“That’s what we have to do to get my daughter back,” Diana said.

An account has been set up in Tonni’s name at Oregon First Community Credit Union in Reedsport to help the family pay for treatment expenses and trip costs. Those who are interested can donate at any credit union branch.