What is your name?
David Lenz

How old are you?
34

What city and state do you live in?
Vancouver, WA

What years and grades did you attend Tucker Maxon?
1987-1990 — PreK – K

Did you have a favorite teacher or staff member?
Linda Goodwin!

What caused your hearing loss?
Pendred Synrome (Deafness with Goiter). Profound loss in both ears.

What kind of tools do you use to support your hearing today?
Advanced Bionics Coclear Implant on the left with CROS on the right. Implanted in 2015. Prior to that, Phonak hearing aids in my left ear and no hearing in my right ear. 

Do you use sign/ASL?
No need!

How has hearing loss impacted your life or the life of people close to you?
My biggest struggle every day happens at night. With young kids waking up, it’s very disorienting and hard for my wife to communicate with me in the dark. Maybe we do need to learn sign language! My biggest struggle since being implanted is battery management. It’s a big change to go from changing batteries every week or two to changing them every 17 hours.

What did you study in college, and/or what kind of work do you do, or want to do?
I got my Masters of Information Systems Management from Brigham Young University (BYU). Today, I am a Senior Project Engineer focusing on electrical controls and automation for a manufacturer in Portland.
 
Please share an accomplishment your are especially proud of.
When I lost my hearing permanently three years ago, I was going a little stir crazy and needed a distraction. I ended up moving my laundry room from downstairs to upstairs. Framing, sheet rocking, plumbing, electrical, flooring, cabinets, painting, etc. It was a lot of work, but it has been a gift that keeps on giving!

What is you favorite place you’ve traveled to?
Hawaii. I’m fortunate enough to have an aunt who lives on Oahu which has given me many opportunities to visit the tropical paradise. I love the warm ocean, steep rugged mountains, and the exotic green jungles. 

What do you look forward to most each day?
I have three beautiful daughters who all love their daddy very much. I love how they attack me with their hugs and love to snuggle. Spending time with my wife and daughters is the highlight of each and every day.

Please share something you learned as a student at Tucker Maxon that has stayed with you ever since.
Because I was so young while at Tucker Maxon, it’s difficult to recall specific lessons learned, but I know my life is totally enhanced. My implant has been incredibly successful and my audiologist from OHSU gives due credit to Tucker Maxon, even though it was over 25 years ago.

Any words of advice for today’s Tucker Maxon students (hearing impaired, typical, or both)?
2019 is a great year to be hearing impaired! The technology we have is so fantastic. There are a lot of very smart people working hard every day to make it even better. Don’t take it for granted and always keep an open mind when it comes to trying new technologies.