William Shatner and the American Tinnitus Foundation

Who knew that Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk suffered from tinnitus? Apparently, even in the 23rd century, they haven't yet found a cure. :-(

I know. Bad joke, right? According to Shatner, he was filming an episode of the original Star Trek show when it happened. He was apparently too close to a special effect when it exploded. The result was tinnitus, which has been with him to this very day, now more than 40 years since that tragic incident.

The good news is that, by all accounts, he has managed to maintain a full career, going on to star in hundreds of TV shows and movies, including six full-feature Star Trek films as Kirk. I'd have to say that he is a big inspiration for anyone who lives with tinnitus and is struggling to do so.

As any tinnitus sufferer can attest, however, Shatner's journey hasn't been an easy one. At times he struggled, even to the point of contemplating suicide. How did he manage to find his way through the darkness? He found hope for a cure--through the American Tinnitus Foundation. You can watch and listen to his story below.

A Six Month Milestone

IMAGINE a sound for which there is no "OFF" switch. If you have tinnitus, unfortunately, you know just what I mean.

It's now been six months to the day that changed my life forever. My story for the purpose of this blog begins on January 2, 2010, when I was involved in a car accident. In a tenth of a second, the driver's side curtain airbag deployed in close range to my left ear. The excessively loud sound of the airbag deployment instantly and permanently damaged my hearing in my left ear, leaving me without the ability to hear high and mid range sound. Even worse, my ear began to ring loudly and chronically, on and on, every hour of every day. To this day, six months later, the ringing has not abated.

The good news is, as I tell myself, that I have now survived six months living with this horrible nuisance. The bad news is, that, by no fault of my own--I always protected my hearing prior to this accident--I had to survive six months living with this horrible nuisance. Worse, it's still here, and not going away anytime soon.

What precisely do you do when the doctor tells you that your condition is beyond the ability of modern medicine to cure? Despite all of the knowledge acquisitions, advancements and breakthroughs that the medical establishment prides itself upon achieving over the past century concerning many aspects of the human body, there has been little meaningful progress made with regard to the human ability to hear. Got a hearing problem? Good luck! Hearing aids won't help you much, nor will any of the various snake oil remedies out there on the web.

The said truth is that there is no cure for hearing loss or tinnitus. Once you get it, whether you've earned it, or it is dealt to you, it's yours for life. If you have had it for awhile, you know just what I mean.

If you don't, then pause and think about it for a moment.

And then, listen to this:

With this in mind, over the coming weeks, months and years, I hope to do my part to increase awareness about tinnitus and hearing loss causes through this blog, and by whatever means possible. Although there is no cure for tinnitus and hearing loss, in many cases they are preventable. Unfortunately, by the time most people have a reason to care, it's already much too late. Believe me, I didn't understand just how terrible tinnitus and hearing loss could be when I woke up on the morning of January 2, 2010. By the end of the day, however, I was only just beginning to learn.

I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, much less a good friend. If I can help even one person to avoid the suffering that myself and so many others must endure during every waking moment of our lives, then this blog will have served its purpose.