What would you do if, on an ordinary afternoon at your desk, one of your ears simply stopped working — replaced by a shrill ringing that never goes away?

That's exactly what happened to David Menzies.

On May 15, David was at his desk. No loud music, no radio, nothing. At five o'clock, without warning, he went deaf in one ear.

But silence would be a relief. What David hears now, 24 hours a day except when he sleeps, is a shrill, droning chirp that never lets up. It's called tinnitus.

There is no cure.

David has a theory: years spent standing in the middle of pro-Hamas and Antifa mobs with a camera, where a favourite trick is blaring a megaphone straight into a reporter's ear. It's a form of assault, and police never do a thing about it. He's seen the best specialists there are. There's no fixing what happened — but there is a way to make it bearable.

David now wears a BiCROS hearing aid, a German-made device that can't restore his hearing but drowns the ringing out with something gentler — he plays ocean waves through it all day just to hang onto his sanity. It's brought the pain from a 10 out of 10 down to about a 7. Real relief, but not cheap.

The device cost just over $7,000. Ontario's health plan covered a measly $500. Rebates knocked off a couple thousand more. Our own modest staff plan here at Rebel News covered about half of what remained — leaving a shortfall of $2,245.

I told David, on camera, that I'd personally cover it, and I meant it. David is a friend, and he’s given ten great years to Rebel News. But I’d love it if I didn't have to cover that gap alone.

Give anything you can. Give $250 or more, and David will call to thank you personally — and knowing him, it won't be a short call! Please click here or chip in below to help cover the cost of David's hearing aid.

Please help David hear again!

Our beloved Rebel News reporter David Menzies has suddenly lost hearing in one ear and now suffers from severe, nonstop tinnitus — a maddening ringing and shrill noise that has made everyday life and work incredibly difficult.

Thankfully, a specialized Signia BiCROS hearing aid and sound therapy have helped reduce the symptoms and improve his hearing, but the device costs thousands of dollars and is only partly covered by insurance and OHIP.

Rebel News is covering what we can, but there remains a shortfall of $2,245.

Please help David hear again — and help him get some relief so he can keep doing the journalism our viewers know and love!

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