Family looks to replace $12K hearing device stolen 2 years ago

It was a simple act — the theft of a pair of shoes at a public beach — but since that day two years ago, it's a loss that's had a profound effect on Gaston Rodriguez and his family. 

It happened in 2019 as Gaston, who is 36, was enjoying a day walking on the sand near Grand Bend, Ont. 

When he returned from the walk, the shoes were gone. But the real loss was a tiny electronic device stuffed inside the shoes for safekeeping; a device Gaston relies on to maintain contact with the outside world. 

Gaston has been deaf since he was a year old, the result of a complication from contracting meningitis in his native Mexico. 

In 2013, he had an inner-cochlear implant installed before arriving in Canada. Unlike hearing aids, which simply amplify sound to counter the effects of hearing loss, cochlear implants use a sound processor that sits behind the ear. The processor captures sound signals and sends them to a receiver surgically implanted under the skin. The signals provide the wearer with the sensation of hearing by bypassing the damaged part of the inner ear. 

Cochlear implants don't restore hearing completely, but the signals they deliver help the wearer to be aware of outside sounds. For people with hearing impairment, they are essential for communication, particularly when combined with lip-reading. 

Without the receiver, the implant that Gaston has can't help him hear.