Twin Cities-based company donates hearing aids to Tennessee teen after tornado destroys home

A Minnesota company is helping a Tennesse teenager get her hearing back.

Eden Prairie-based Starkey Hearing Technologies donated new hearing aids to 16-year-old Ella Neal.

A powerful tornado destroyed Neal’s home near Nashville earlier this year, and she lost her hearing aids in the storm.

"I’m just really excited because I haven’t experienced something like this before," Neal said.

The hearing aids have real-time language translation and Bluetooth streaming.

"School-wise, you know, especially now with everyone wearing masks and social distancing being able to have them transcribe, where if someone is talking she can see the words and it can come into her hearing aid," audiologist Randi Yontz said.