Vancouverite Ruzzelle Gasmen stood out among over 6,500 entries to Nando’s Canada‘s PERi-PERi Sauce of Inspiration Fund competition with her dream of creating fun and trendy hearing aid accessories for kids and adults. We chatted with Ruzzelle to get the scoop on how she plans to use the $10,000 to turn her dream into a reality. —Noa Nichol
Hi Ruzzelle! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.
Get ready for a mouthful: I’m a Filipino born Canadian speech-language pathologist with hearing loss who grew up in a trilingual household. The three languages in my home are Ilocano, Tagalog/Filipino, and English. Communication has always fascinated me, so much so that I pursued it as a career. However, I am slowly learning that there is life outside of my work. Sometimes I like to hike in nature, sometimes I like to decompress and do nothing, and sometimes I like to get crafty!
Congrats on your Nando’s PERi-PERi Sauce of Inspiration Fund win! How did you feel when you found out?
I was in utter disbelief for several minutes. It took a while to process what was happening, and then I started to feel tears well up in my eyes. Happy tears, of course!
Tell us about your entry, and your dream of creating fun and trendy hearing aid accessories for kids and adults. When and why did this dream begin?
This story actually starts seven years ago when my hearing loss was first identified. Unfortunately, back then I was a full-time university student and could not afford the high cost of hearing aids or the cost of replacing them every five years. For the majority of Canadians, hearing aids are not covered by our healthcare system. Six years after being diagnosed, I could finally afford them after starting my career at a workplace that provided comprehensive extended healthcare coverage. So here I am, I finally have my bright blue children’s hearing aids—because adult hearing aids only come in boring colours that blend in with your hair or skin colour. I knew some people decorated their hearing aids with stickers and nail foils, but I couldn’t think of how to decorate mine to make them truly me. One day, I came across a photo of Catriona Gray, Miss Universe from the Philippines and Australia. On stage she wore this stunning ear cuff that had the sun and three stars from the Philippines flag. I wanted the ear cuff so badly to celebrate my Filipino heritage, but I quickly realized it wouldn’t fit against my hearing aids. Months went by and I just couldn’t shake off the ear cuff, so I attempted to recreate something similar by hand with some scrap cardstock lying around and gold vinyl from the craft store. I also purchased a little star charm for the hearing aid tube. I was so proud to wear my heritage and my hearing aids when it was complete! When I shared a picture of my hearing aids and the accessory online, I didn’t expect to receive such wholesome feedback. People started asking if I made accessories for others, but it wasn’t something that I considered at the time. But now I want to continue this creative journey and bring a little pride and joy to other hearing aid users—especially children who might be scared of being different due to their hearing loss. I want to show others that you don’t have to be ashamed of your hearing aids. They don’t have to blend in and remain unseen; they can be works of art! I’m hoping with these hearing aid accessories, to donate some of the proceeds to a local, charitable organization where I spent my minor clinical practicum in audiology during graduate school. They provide refurbished hearing aids to those who cannot otherwise afford them. It’s a mission that resonates with me as someone who couldn’t afford hearing aids for 6 years. It may not happen in my lifetime, but one day I hope through advocacy efforts that the Canadian healthcare system becomes truly universal by providing hearing health coverage for all, just like the National Health Service in the U.K.
How will you use the $10,000 prize to turn your dream into a reality? What will your first design be?
The accessories I’ve made for myself were all done by hand. It can get pretty laborious and time-consuming. To speed up the process so that more people can glam up their hearing aids with pride, I’m ordering a die cutting machine, tools, and drawing software. 3-D printing is also something I’m eyeing for more complex designs. I’ve made some other hearing aid accessories like angel wings and a snowflake, but my latest one was something inspired by my Filipino heritage. They are aswang wings. Aswang are evil creatures of Filipino folklore. One of the aswang that my dad would tell me about as a child is the manananggal, similar to a vampire but worse and it sprouts bat-like wings on its back. My next design might be something based on a mythical creature that’s less fear-inducing: a mermaid! I always wanted to be a mermaid as a child.
Final, foodie question: what’s your go-to order when you eat at Nando’s?!
My family is slightly obsessed with Nando’s! We usually order a massive platter. My personal favourites are the lemon and herb chicken skewers and garlic bread that I smother with mashed potatoes. My mouth’s watering just thinking about it.
share:
Be the first to comment