Submitted by: Sal Gentile

Category: Stories

Hi, my name is Sal Gentile a Tinnitus suffer from Tampa, Florida and I am a Military Veteran and the American Tinnitus Association Lead Event Coordinator for “Salute to Silence Tinnitus”. I would like to tell my story. I have organized a bicycle ride from Florida to Washington D.C., approximately 1,000 miles over 20 days during the month of May 2013 - also known as Better Hearing and Speech Month. My plan is to finish the ride in our nation's capital during National Tinnitus Awareness Week which is May 19-25, 2013. While this is the first year of the ride from Tampa to Washington, D.C., I did a shorter ride just in Florida last year (100 mi in one day) in solidarity with bicyclists from all around the country. The event in Florida last year was a huge success and our team in Florida raised the most contributions and garnered the most press coverage for our efforts. Our coverage included, ABC World News, ABC Action News in Tampa, The Tampa Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, several local radio stations and countless websites. I am committed to increasing the reach of this event to help all those who suffer from tinnitus – particularly the members of our Armed Services. Tinnitus is the leading service-connected disability for veterans from all periods of service and while there are some treatments that work for some people, there is currently no cure.

This event will be a monumental effort and we can and will help the 50 million Americans in the U.S. who have tinnitus and the 250 million that suffer chronically worldwide with your support. Please join for the first-ever "Salute to Silence Tinnitus” bicycle ride and help support the local Tampa and national volunteers who are joining together on May 1, 2013 to raise money to fund crucial tinnitus research.
In case you don't know, tinnitus is the perception of sound where no external source exists. People affected by tinnitus describe it as “ringing, hissing, buzzing, and whooshing”, perceived in one or both ears. I suffer from four loud noises and my tinnitus is 75 decibels loud, or the exact sound of a human voice, and I hear it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Did you know that 50 million people in the United States experience tinnitus; of those, 16 million have sought medical attention for their tinnitus and 2-3 million are completely disabled from their tinnitus. In 2011, the VA paid out over $1.28 billion to veterans for tinnitus disability compensation – at the current rate of increase, disability payments to veterans for tinnitus is expected to exceed $2.75 billion by 2016.

After struggling with tinnitus, I had remembered that I recently read an article from the American Tinnitus Association. I joined the ATA and found myself surrounded by support from their Facebook website where many affected people share ideas for coping strategies. I have been using these techniques for some time now and have continued to learn to retrain my brain to cope with my tinnitus.
To promote public awareness, assist our military men and women who stood in front of “Harms Way” for us, and to help find a cure, I am canvassing for riders. If you would like to join my team please sign up for “Sal's Salute to Silence Tinnitus”.

I'm hoping to again enjoy the sound of "chirping birds” and quiet early morning Mother Nature sounds. Please "join me" in person and "Ride to Silence Tinnitus"or online by clicking on the attached website to support this cause that needs our help so much - together we can silence tinnitus.

WHEN: May 1, 2013 (Contact tampatinnitus@gmail.com)

BEGIN: James A. Haley VA Medical Center (Tinnitus Clinic)

END: Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C

WANT TO RIDE: Your welcome to ride a few miles or all the distance.

https://bike.ata.org/home - PLEASE CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE

About the author:

Hi, my name is Sal Gentile from Tampa, Florida, Veteran, former IBM employee, and now teach Tinnitus Management and coping skills to Military and Tinnitus suffers.I am the State American Tinnitus Event leader for Florida and I want to raise money for our Military who suffer from this unappreciated condition. The VA claims Tinnitus is the number one service oriented disability especially with Military returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Read more: https://bike.ata.org/home