Popular singer gives man gift of hearing after backstage meeting

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - John Chambers Jr. hasn’t been able to hear everything in his 23-years but when Bryan Adams came on the radio he listened for every note.

Almost twenty years after Chambers’ first introduction to the 1993 album So Far So Good, his favorite singer would end up giving him not only the gift of music but the gift of hearing.

Chambers was born partially deaf with moderate to severe hearing loss in his right ear.  He went through two surgeries when three and five years old to repair what doctors could.

On November 2, Chambers attended the Bryan Adams concert at the Embassy Theater in Fort Wayne and got the chance to go backstage for a meet-and-greet.

When Chambers’ father mentioned his son’s experience with hearing loss to the singer, Adams immediately offered help.

Adams is an ambassador for the non-profit Hear the World Foundation , a global initiative which provides information on hearing loss prevention and solutions.

The singer’s connection to the organization was unknown to the Chambers family before meeting him last fall.  That coincidence quickly became life-changing when Adams took down the family’s e-mail address.

“We sat through the concert and by the time we got home we had already gotten the e-mail saying ‘we’ll tell you who we work with and we’ll get your free hearing aids’,” Chambers said.

The organization has provided Chambers with custom Phonak hearing instruments.  He received the new aids Wednesday morning.

“It’s just really cool that [Adams] was able to help me hear what I’ve been missing,” Chambers said.  “Maybe I can hear his music more clearly.  It always sounds good to me and it always will but it will sound better because I can hear everything.”

Chambers said he noticed a difference in how he could hear immediately.