While earthquakes typically bring to mind devastating consequences, such as loss of life and destruction of property, there are occasionally unexpected positive stories that emerge from these natural disasters. One such uplifting tale is that of a deaf man who miraculously regained his ability to hear following a significant earthquake.
In August 2011, a sizable 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the US East Coast, significantly impacting structures, including causing damage to the Washington Monument. Around this tumultuous time, a rather extraordinary event occurred for Robert Valderzak, a 75-year-old cancer patient who had lost his hearing due to a fall earlier in June of the same year. Remarkably, Valderzak experienced a restoration of his hearing right after the earthquake occurred.
As buildings were being evacuated and people were in a state of panic, Valderzak discovered, to his joy, that his hearing had returned. In an interview with FOX, he expressed his astonishment and gratitude, saying, “I said, ‘You know, my hearing is back. I can hear everything, people in the hallway.’ Couldn’t ask for a better day.”
The timing of the event was particularly poignant as it happened while his whole family was there. “Why did it happen at that time, with my whole family there? There was God’s touch in there,” Valderzak shared during his hospital stay where he was being visited by his daughter and three sons when the quake struck.
“It was God’s blessing,” Valderzak told ABC News. “It was a miracle for me.” He described the moment as being intensely physical, saying, “It shook me terrible – right out of the bed. But after that it stopped. And my son talked to me, and I could hear his voice.”
Naturally, this incredible story leaves many wondering how such a thing could happen. Medical tests confirmed that Valderzak’s hearing had indeed significantly improved. Dr. Ross Fletcher, chief of staff at the VA Hospital, explained, “He had conductive hearing loss, caused by fluid in his middle ear, as well as loss due to nerve damage. A combination of a drug he was taking and the earthquake event itself likely led to him losing the fluid and gaining back his hearing.”
Dr. Jennifer Smullen added that while the shaking itself might not have been sufficient to clear the fluid from Valderzak’s inner ear, a startled reaction such as yawning or yelling could have contributed. “But if somebody was startled, and yawned or yelled, sometimes that’s enough to clear some fluid out from the ear drum,” she elaborated.
Prior to regaining his hearing, Valderzak had adapted to his hearing loss using a special microphone and learning lip reading. “The devices helped, but by the time I got them all hooked up, everyone had left and I was talking to myself,” he humorously recounted to ABC News.
This remarkable recovery, amidst the chaos of a natural disaster, surely adds a unique and hopeful chapter to the usually grim narratives that follow earthquakes.