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SpeechEasy and New Beginnings: Three SpeechEasy Users Open Their Hearts and Share Their Story.
For Bill Hargis, it was just another quiet day enjoying his retirement. After all, he had a long career as a turbine mechanic and a welder. And he did okay. But because of his stutter, he felt he had to prove himself all his life, that he was capable of thought and reason.
And then one say friends started calling to tell him about a little device they had seen on the Oprah Show, a device they thought he should know about.
"I didn't see it, but other people did and they called me," remembers Hargis. "I thought it was some kind of a scam, so I did some checking on it ... I have a friend who taught speech pathology and he's retired but he did some research . He found there was one big dealer in Portland, Oregon. So I emailed him."
That was back in late 2001. Since then, Hargis has had a change of life, a change he says is due to his experience with SpeechEasy, and the confidence and ability that it gives him to communicate with the rest of the world.
"I was a severe stutter my whole life, and I am 65," recalls Hargis. "When I tried the model in Cliff (Goldman's) office, I noticed a difference right away. I knew it would work, so I order it right then."
After being fitted for the device, Hargis and his wife, Theresa, stopped and ate lunch. "I ordered for myself... I had never been to a drive-up of course, and I started going to drive ups," he laughs. "But I also don't have people laughing at me any more - it's not kids, it's adults. And there's so many people that think you are retarded... ignorance and stupidity. Surprisingly, most of those people are highly educated." Hargis remembers those days carefully, his words reflective of the harsh ridicule he had to live with as a person who stutters.
"I've had to be rather aggressive to prove myself just to get ahead in life. Otherwise I would've had to just do menial jobs," Hargis recalls. "It's frustrating, you have the urge (for violence) a lot of times, you really do."
"Now I can feel more peace - If I want to go into a store and order something, I can. If I want to make a phone call, I can. No body even knows that I ever stuttered. There used to be times I'd try to tell somebody something, especially a stranger, and I'd have to just give up and walk away, it was that bad."
Hargis says the SpeechEasy device has exceeded his expectations.
"I had given up hope a long time ago. Luckily I have a good wife, Theresa. She got into such a habit of ordering for me in a restaurant she still tries to do that," he laughs, and it is a laughter that is full of relief and peace.
"If I'm going to go in and talk to total strangers, then I'll use it. It's there for me when I need it. It definitely is - I still keep it in my pocket, I put it in my ear just when I know I will need it."
Does Hargis have any advice for someone considering the SpeechEasy?
"I would tell him to get it, because at 16 or 18, he's been through hell already," said Hargis. "I would say get it, because otherwise you're going to have to prove himself all of his life. It's been a life saver, I just wish I'd had it when I was younger."
Chad Gipe has been using his SpeechEasy for seven months. He was told about it through a contractor at work who saw an article in USA Today. What Chad didn't know was that once his speech improved, his co-workers had even more to tell him. What Chad didn't know was that his co-workers were so impressed with his improved fluency, they pooled their resources and presented him with a check to pay off the balance of the $3300 he had borrowed to purchase his device.
"At first, I did not have the money for it, so I had to have Carolyn Overbay (the Tennessee-based SLP who fitted Chad) wait while I had to try to find the money for it" recalls Gipe. "I saved up as much as I could, and then Care Credit financed the rest. I was approved for $4500, but I used the money that I had saved up, and my co-workers at work took up a donation - the total I was able to put down was $1800. And I think I had to borrow around $32-3300, about 8 weeks later, my work then comes around and tells me they are going to finish paying it off. I was very impressed that they thought as much of me."
When Gipe first put the device in his ear and was tested, it worked instantly. He is a computer operator for a factory called Berkline, a company that makes furniture.
"My wife went with me (for the testing) - she was very surprised. She and I both had some high expectations, but they were exceeded by what happened. I thought it would only help me a little bit, but I mean, it was like 300% times at much as I was expecting it to be! I was talking to her, reading phrases that I thought I would never be able to say."
Gipe says his life has changed so much - he is now able to have conversations on the telephone, is able to "actually speak to my co-workers, and not to have the fear that there is a part of them thinking that I am retarded." Gipe says "I know that they have never thought that, and it has also helped my confidence like if I want to talk to a stranger, I don't have the worry that I won't be able to talk to them. This thing has changed my life in a whole lot of ways that it is hard to describe."
Gipe says any person who stutters should find any way they can to be tested for the SpeechEasy, and that no sacrifice is too small. "Everyone I have ever met that knows me... every chance that I'm able to respond on the web site, it is just unbelievable -- if a person has any doubts about this device just to go to a speech pathologist and have an examination, that's it. They will be highly impressed."
Carol White has been wearing her SpeechEasy device since March 17 of 2003. And for her, it has been like the beginning of a new life.
White, who is "61 years young," retired at the age of 52 from her job working for the state of Maryland. She was offered early retirement, and she took it.
"I was glad to get out of my job. My stuttering was very bad - I used to have the blinking of the eyes and jerking of the head and grinding of the teeth. Getting the SpeechEasy has changed my life."
White says getting her device gave her the confidence to go back to work. Now she is in real estate, and is in charge of running all the open houses. "Now that I can talk, I was happy to get out of retirement. Now that I got SpeechEasy I can talk again.
White says her SpeechEasy still works for her the same, and that it works as well now as it did in the beginning. "I start stuttering on the first word - I had speech therapy about 7 times," she explains. "Going back and doing therapy once a month helped me get back again - I have to remember to do the "Uh" sound - I always use the Uh to get started and that gets the device started."
She flat out says the SpeechEasy has changed her life.
"I do all the open houses now and show the people the properties," she says with great pride.
White heard about the device on Good Morning America. She says it was fate, because she and her husband always used to watch another morning show. But the morning that SpeechEasy was featured, she not only watched the story, but had taped it. And she watched it over and over again.
She says it is important for people to see if the device is right for them, and that it's worth every penny to do so.
"Go for the evaluation - see if it's right for you, because a lot of people say it doesn't work for everybody, but at least for $300 see if it works and give it a chance - it's worth a try. You spend your money on other things. Put your money in the bank and save it, and then you can afford it. People that say they don't have the money, they really don't want it, they're not that interested. If they want the device badly enough, they'll find a way," she says.
White can be found on the SpeechEasy Discussion Board. She is a regular contributor, and goes by her first name, Carol.
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