How a Boy Turned a Dog's Snack into a Charitable Mission

Braden Baker is a young boy who relies on a hearing aid. Unfortunately, a few months ago, Braden's dog found the hearing aid and found it quite tasty. The dog chewed on it from all angles, rendering it useless.

Braden needed a new hearing aid. When he asked about the cost, his parents told him it was $3,000, but assured him not to worry; they could afford it.

However, Braden was concerned. He knew his parents were well-off and could manage the expense, but he started worrying for another reason: What about all the kids whose parents cannot afford such an expensive hearing aid? "Are there kids who can't hear just because their parents don't have the money?" he asked anxiously.

But Braden didn’t stop at worrying.

He decided to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for a hearing aid for a child whose parents couldn’t afford one. (In the United States, there is no national health insurance, so poor children might not receive essential equipment like hearing aids if their parents lack insurance.)

The ten-year-old fundraiser’s campaign was so successful that he raised $15,000. He donated the money to a national organization serving children with hearing impairments to provide new hearing aids for five children who need them. Following Hurricane Harvey, some of the funds will also be used to repair hearing equipment for hearing-impaired kids in Houston. "I think it's a smart decision," declared Braden.

But Braden's philanthropic dreams didn’t end there. In a video he posted on the campaign page he created, Braden shared his dream of traveling the world to bring hearing aids to impoverished people in developing countries. Dr. Kamal Elliot, an audiologist who saw the video, was deeply moved and contacted Braden. Dr. Elliot travels worldwide to provide hearing care for those in need and promised Braden to take him along on one of her next trips. "I will bring you so that you can see the beautiful smiles of those who finally can hear and realize what a positive impact you can have," she told Braden. Braden's mother even told a local newspaper that Dr. Elliot promised to name this mission after Braden.

And to think it all started simply because a dog mistook a hearing aid for a juicy bone...