Dr. Scott Marquardt and former players worked to spread hearing loss
education and awareness during NBA All-Star Weekend
Shenandoah, TX (February 26, 2013)—During the events at NBA
All-Star 2013 Weekend in Houston, Dr. Scott Marquardt of Clarity Hearing in
Shenandoah, TX and members of the National
Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA)-- the only
alumni association comprised of former NBA, ABA and Harlem Globetrotters
players--worked with representatives from The
HearStrong Foundation to advocate the importance of spreading hearing
health awareness and helped present the gift of hearing to deserving children.
Robert Horry, seven-time NBA World Champion, joined Dr.
Marquardt and representatives from the NBRPA and The HearStrong Foundation on
February 15th at Peck Elementary School (Houston ISD). There, Horry
presented certificates for state-of-the-art EarQ
hearing devices to two local
children with hearing
loss, whose families could not otherwise afford hearing technology.
“Seeing the looks of
joy and gratitude on the children’s faces was a truly moving and humbling
experience for all involved,” said Dr. Marquardt. “I was so proud to be
involved in the weekend’s activities and to help educate the former players, as
well as the public, about their hearing health.”
Dr. Marquardt also helped the foundation honor one of its
first HearStrong Champions, Rev. Johnnie Mathis, in an official naming ceremony
at The Hotel Derek in Houston. On February 14th, former NBA All-Star
Cedric Ceballos helped present Mathis with his official HearStrong medal.
Mathis, a hospital chaplain from Hempstead, TX, dealt with life-long hearing
loss that worsened when he received radiation treatments for vocal cord cancer
in 2006. But thanks to hearing devices and hard work, Mathis is now able to
fully experience his life.
