For about 30 minutes Reedsport High School incoming senior Tonni Willis could hear noises most people take for granted.

“I could hear the wind and the birds,” Tonni said.

Tonni hasn’t been able to hear out of her left ear since suddenly losing her hearing on that side about a year ago.

This summer, Tonni had an inkling of what  it will be like to hear with both ears again when doctors temporarily fitted her with a hearing aid. She has an appointment for a fitting of the Baha implant, which will help restore her hearing.

After seeing a number of doctors, she was diagnosed with sensori-neural hearing loss. Doctors said it could have a number of causes, including long periods of loud noise, disease, high fevers or loud music played on music players.

The recent appointment was for a “soft fitting,” Tonni’s mother Diana Willis said. The actual implant will require surgery and work even better than at the appointment. It also gave Tonni an idea of what she could expect once she has the procedure.

“She was tickled,” Willis said.

With hearing in both ears again, Tonni should be able tell which direction sounds were coming from and shouldn’t have as much difficulty hearing sounds to the left of her, Willis said.

A three-sport athlete, Tonni hoped to have permanent improvement in her hearing before volleyball season started.

That may not happen.

Financial constraints facing her family have pushed that surgery further into the future.

North Bend Medical Center and Dr. Wallace Webster, an ear, nose, and throat physician, have agreed to donate the surgery necessary for Tonni, whose family lacks the insurance to pay for the procedure.

With the surgery expenses taken care of, the family still has to cover the cost of the implant and other equipment from the manufacturer, Cochlear of Englewood, Colo. On Friday, Willis found out the family will have to provide $5,600 before the surgery can be performed.

So far they have raised $3,200, but the Willises may not be able to make the deadline to have the surgery done this month.

“It really doesn’t look like she’s going to get it anytime soon,” Willis said.

On top of trying to collect funds to pay for the implant, now the family has another expense. Tonni’s father, Clinton Willis, suffered a heart attack two months ago, Willis said, adding to the medical bills for which the Willises are responsible.

The family has until Wednesday to make the full payment for Tonni’s implant. Diana kept the surgery appointment of Friday, Aug. 22,  just in case they come up with the needed funds in time. If not, the family will continue to raise money and Tonni will have to wait until the break in between volleyball and basketball season for surgery.

Willis said the delay is disappointing, but she is holding out hope her daughter’s brief experience with complete hearing will soon be an everyday reality.

“Her smile was unreal,” Willis said. “It was from ear to ear.”