LI Girl, 6, Holds Bake Sale To Help Buy Hearing Aids For Kids: May 12

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — Ruby Ganci may be 6 years old, but she has already raised more than $13,000 to buy brand-new hearing aids for children worldwide.

Now, Ruby is holding a bake sale in Port Washington to outfit more kids with hearing devices.

The bake sale will take place Thursday, from 5 to 6 p.m., at The Local Market. This is the second time Ruby will be hosting the event, and it coincides with what her mother Lindsay says is Ruby's two-year "hear-iversary."

What Started It All

Helping children with hearing loss, especially those who cannot pay for them, is a cause that falls close to Ruby and her family's hearts.

Like more than 30 million kids around the world, Ruby has a hearing impairment. She started wearing hearing aids, which generally aren't covered by medical insurance, at the beginning of the pandemic.

The Ganci family is still trying to figure out what caused Ruby to develop late-onset sensorineural hearing loss. Lindsay and her husband, Alec, only realized Ruby was having trouble hearing when the COVID-19 masking protocol was enforced on Long Island.

"Mommy, move your mouth, I can't hear what you said," Lindsay recalled Ruby, then 4, telling her.

It was a difficult time for the Gancis. But once an audiologist confirmed Ruby's hearing loss and fitted her with a set of bilateral hearing aids, everything changed.

"She told us she heard God whispering to her in the wind because she had never heard the wind before," Lindsay, who has lived in Port Washington for 12 years, said in an interview with Patch.

The wind. A mother's soothing voice. A car speeding down the road. Everyone should be able to hear the world around them. But for millions of people, hearing aids are a luxury they cannot afford.

Most New York insurance carriers don't consider hearing aids to be essential medical devices, even for young children such as Ruby, who might need them as part of their development. Some devices can run well over $5,000 and are purchased mostly out-of-pocket.

The Gancis are lucky to be able to afford hearing aids for Ruby, but they must be replaced every five years or so.

For parents unable to help their children get everything they need and deserve? To Lindsay, that sounds like "some version of hell."

"No matter what choices you make, you shouldn't have to choose between food or a medical device your child needs to thrive," Lindsay said. "I would equate being unable to help my child with something they need to function fully in society to some version of hell. To me, that would be torturous to know I can't give my child what they deserve and need."

Paying It Forward

Lindsay couldn't imagine another child living without hearing aids — unable to use all five senses. So last year, when the opportunity to help another child presented itself, Lindsay wanted to do what she could.

On a Facebook page for parents with children experiencing hearing loss, Lindsay said she read a post from a mother in Honduras asking if anyone had secondhand hearing aids for her son, Nathan.

When Ruby heard about Nathan, she asked Lindsay if the family could have a bake sale. It's that idea that helped Nathan — and a handful of other children — get some serious dough for a new pair of hearing aids.

At last year's bake sale, Ruby, then 5, helped raise nearly $9,000.

"We had a goal of raising $1,000 or $2,000. And we intended to pay the difference so Ruby could meet her goal," Lindsay said. "But once that happened, and we raised so much money, we were able to buy multiple hearing aids for multiple children around the world."

With the money, the Gancis said they have shipped hearing aids to children in Honduras, Peru, Malaysia, and other parts of the United States.

Given the bake sale's success, the family decided to have another. This time, the family will raise money for a different child — Arllen.

Thursday's Bake Sale

Arllen is a 7-year-old boy from Honduras who wants bright green Phonak hearing aids, according to his mother. And that's exactly what he will get with the money raised at Thursday's bake sale. Once they hit their goal, the Gancis will use the remainder of the funds to cover the cost of other children's hearing aids, according to Lindsay.

You can swing by the bake sale on Thursday and pick up an assortment of tasty treats — like funfetti cupcakes, candy kebabs, and vegan, nut- and gluten-free cupcakes. Lindsay says Ruby's 3-year-old sister, Jayne, has been a wonderful help with baking.

Lindsay estimates the family made about 100 cookies, at least 25 cupcakes and 20 candy kebabs.

The Local Market, where the bake sale is being held, is located at 273 Main St. in Port Washington.

Lindsay says the family is grateful for Cassie — the owner of The Local Market, who let them have the bake sale there for two years — and the Port Washington community, which has "really been there for Ruby."

"People have really shown up to be there for our kid, and it's one of the many things I love about this town," Lindsay said.

She also said that any amount will help children in need and encouraged people to donate what they can.

"Even the people who give $3 and buy cookies. They're gonna be a part of this. They're gonna help change a kid's life," she said.

Patch's Peggy Spellman Hoey contributed to this reporting.