VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — After a life-altering pair of glasses was stolen from a deaf teenager in Virginia Beach, the community is rallying behind him.
During a trip to Walmart, 15-year-old Maxx Rogers' backpack was stolen with the $2,000 glasses inside. He said he had only had them for a week.
Maxx's mother, Katie Beth Steele, said he was born deaf and uses sign language to communicate, which she said can take up a lot of energy.
“There are times when you’re not looking, when your back is to someone, you have to get up and go in front of that person,” said Steele.
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But then, Rogers saw an influencer on social media using a new special pair of glasses made for hearing impaired people and ordered a pair from the company Hearview.
By using his phone, the words people are saying around him are translated and put on the lens of the glasses so he can read them.
Maxx said the glasses have drastically changed his life by making it much easier for him to communicate with family and friends.
“They really help me understand what people were saying," said Maxx.
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Prior to getting the glasses, his mom said, “Maxx would sometimes hermit himself in his room because it’s easier to be alone rather than being in a hearing group where people are talking over him and he just gives up. It’s too much energy."
When Maxx's backpack with his glasses were stolen, Steele posted a heartfelt video on Instagram asking for the glasses to be returned. She shared how the glasses empowered her son to feel like part of a group.
“I hope this person sees this video and understands. They didn’t just take a pair of readers,” said Steele.
Steele emphasized the impact the glasses have had on her son's life, saying, “These glasses have changed our lives… It wasn’t just a pair of glasses, it was a miracle for us and that’s been so hard for us for 15 years."
As word spread online, there an immediate outpouring from the community. People started donating money to a GoFundMe fundraiser to get him a new pair, then the company offered to send him another pair.
Now, the money being raised through the GoFundMe has a new mission.
“Now, we’ve already raised enough money to give two pairs of glasses to children that are deaf, but that’s going to be amazing. We are now hungry and excited to supply them for more children,” said Steele.
As they wait for Rogers’ new pair of glasses, they're turning the tragedy of losing them into an effort to help other deaf children in the community.
