Lyonel Doherty

Times-Chronicle

After hearing what she just heard, Cherie Fowlie had to put down her pen and cry.

Then Heather Leslie joined her.

If there had been others, it would have been a crying party.

In the end, heartache turned to a “miracle” for Leslie, 85, who can now hear you without all that shouting going on.

Leslie, the famous jam-selling lady who once jumped out of an airplane (with a parachute), recently had a consultation with Beltone Hearing Clinic in Oliver.

Fowlie, the practitioner, soon discovered a heart-wrenching story that was forwarded to head office.

They learned that Leslie lost her husband to cancer in May of this year. He was the main bread winner in the family.

She had done some canning as extra income but COVID-19 shut that opportunity down.

Cherie Fowlie consults with Heather Leslie regarding her new hearing aids.
(Photo contributed)

Leslie beat cancer three times in her 30s, but lost a baby due to the disease spreading to her uterus.

She has now been diagnosed with leukemia and doctors give her two or three years to live. She must undergo extremely painful injections in her stomach and can’t sleep more than two hours a night.

On top of all this, Leslie needed a hearing aid that she couldn’t afford on her meagre income and pension.

Some would consider this barely enough to buy groceries every month while trying to keep on top of car payments and medications.

“She is a warrior,” said Beltone Oliver co-owner Bill Fowlie.

“Heather deserves to have a little help as we need a little helping hand along the way in life as it throws some horrible pitches to us that no one can catch.”

So, Cherie and Bill took it upon themselves to see if the company could assist with some complimentary, top-of-the-line hearing aids. The application was approved.

“This is just a miracle, it really is,” the stunned widow said. “I couldn’t believe that anyone could be that kind.”

She bawled when she heard the news.

Now her family doesn’t have to shout at her all the time.

“I didn’t realize how bad it was. My family couldn’t stand being in the (same) room with me because the TV was too loud.”

Leslie was resigned to the fact she was going to miss out on a lot of conversations. But her life changed dramatically once the new hearing aids were fitted.

She discovered that the other day during a transfusion.

“Yesterday I heard everything (they were saying) in the hospital. It was like being reborn.”