ORLANDO, Fla. – Eleven-year-old Adelyn Brault loves playing with her dog and now she can hear him coming from a distance-- but that wasn't always the case.
In kindergarten, doctors noticed Adelyn suffered from hearing loss. By third grade her mother, Jacquelyn, says it had gotten much worse.
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"Her doctor felt it was time for the hearing aids to help her as well as in school," Jacquelyn said.
Adelyn says before the hearing aid, it was tough to concentrate in school.
"Yeah, because I couldn't hear the teacher, because if two people are talking at the same time I can't tell which voice it is," she said.
The hearing aid cost $3,000 and Jacquelyn's insurance didn't cover it.
Jacquelyn says she was desperate.
"It's a lot of money to come up with in a short amount of time; they wanted half up front to even start making them," Jacquelyn said. "Honestly I was like I don't care what i have to do I have to get this money."
Out of desperation, Jacquelyn googled "hearing impaired" and saw a link to grants and found United Healthcare Children's Foundation. They were one of few organizations who help families with insurance.
"We recognized a need in what we do of families with children who have commercial health insurance that may still have needs," Glenn Baker of United Healthcare said.
In order to receive the grant, you must be 16 years of age or younger, live in U.S., have commercial insurance and meet income criteria.
Since 2007, 7,500 people have received the grant totaling $23 million, 750 of those grantees are in Florida.
In Orlando, more than 160 families have received grants.
Grants go to everything from physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral therapy and chemotherapy.
Adelyn received the grant and now has the hearing aid called the FM device.
"It helps me hear better because without it I couldn't hear that well," Adelyn said.
Adelyn's teachers wear a separate device around their neck which enable Adelyn to hear every word they say.
"She doesn't have to hold up she just keeps it on her neck and I can hear it," Adelyn said, describing the device her teachers wear,
Her mother says simply thank you.
"I owe them so much. People that gave to allow that help for us we are just so grateful," Jacquelyn said.
This grant is funded by a public charity that has been around since 1999.
United Healthcare Children's Foundation says the word is spreading but their goal is to keep getting the word out, that this resource is available and of course want to continue to raise money.