Braden Baker was a bright boy from Texas who loved to laugh, explore, and learn new things. But Braden didn’t hear the same way most kids did—he was born with hearing loss and wore hearing aids that helped him hear the world around him.

Braden’s hearing aids were small but powerful.
They let him hear his mom’s gentle voice, his friends’ silly jokes, and even the sound of his dog’s paws running across the floor.
He called them his “super-ears.”

One summer day, Braden’s playful dog, Chewy, found his hearing aids on the couch.
Before anyone could stop him—chomp!—Chewy chewed them up! Braden was upset, because hearing aids were very expensive to replace!

Braden’s mom comforted him and explained that some families couldn’t afford hearing aids at all. That made Braden think, “If I’m sad about losing mine, how do other kids feel who have never had any?” He decided he wanted to help.

Braden and his mom started a GoFundMe page online. At first, they just wanted to raise enough money to replace his hearing aids.
But people all over the world read his story and wanted to help too!

In just a few weeks, Braden raised thousands of dollars! He couldn’t believe it—his little idea was growing into something much bigger.
He decided to use the money to help other people who needed hearing aids.

With the help of his audiologist and the Oticon Hearing Foundation, Braden began giving hearing aids to people who couldn’t afford them. He traveled to different places, like Guatemala and Zambia, bringing the gift of sound. He called them “Hearing Missions.”

When Braden placed new hearing aids in someone’s ears, he would watch their faces light up. He called those moments “hearing smiles.” Hearing someone laugh, say “I can hear you!” or cry with joy made Braden’s heart full.