09/02/2026
For those who may not know me, I’m Marissa Stellar, PCC / Hearing Technician here at Northeast Hearing Solutions.
A lot of people may ask, “What made you want to work with hearing aids and people with hearing loss?”
“Honestly, starting from the very beginning, I knew absolutely nothing about hearing aids or hearing loss. My background in healthcare actually began as a CNA, and to be honest, throughout my training, we were never really taught about hearing health or just how complex hearing loss can be. At the time, I simply thought that if someone wanted to hear better, they got hearing aids, and if they didn’t care, they chose not to do anything about it.
It wasn’t until I began working at Northeast Hearing Solutions and really started learning and diving deeper into the reality of hearing loss that I realized just how much I didn’t understand. Hearing loss is about so much more than simply getting a hearing aid because you want to hear.
It’s quality of life. It’s brain health. It’s balance. It’s confidence. It’s independence. It’s being present in a conversation instead of smiling and nodding because you missed what was said. It’s going out to dinner and actually being part of the table. It’s hearing your spouse from the other room, your grandchildren telling you a story, the television without everyone else asking you to turn it down, and the little sounds around you that you may not have even realized you were missing.
Hearing loss can be incredibly isolating, and sometimes that isolation happens so gradually that a person doesn’t even realize how much of their life they have started sitting out.
One thing I have learned and will always stand behind is that there is no age when someone should simply exist. Whether you are 50, 70, 90, or beyond, you deserve to be connected to the people around you and to live your life as fully as you possibly can.
And THAT is what made me fall in love with what I do.
There is something incredibly fulfilling about being there for that moment when a patient hears through their hearing instruments for the first time. Watching their expression change, seeing their eyes light up, and sometimes even watching them tear up is a feeling that never gets old. And then you hear the words that somehow never get old:
“Oh my gosh… I can hear.”
So many patients follow that moment by telling us, “I wish I would have done this sooner.”
Those moments put everything into perspective for me. This isn’t about simply fitting a pair of hearing aids. This is about treating hearing loss. We’re helping someone reconnect with conversations, relationships, experiences, and pieces of everyday life they may have slowly been losing.
I may have entered this field knowing absolutely nothing about hearing loss, but somewhere along the way, it became something I genuinely care deeply about. Every patient teaches me something, every story is different, and every time I get to be a small part of giving someone that connection back, I’m reminded why I do what I do.” 🤍
Compassionate, personalized hearing care led by Nevin G. Balliet, BC-HIS, Board Certified in Hearing Instrument Sciences. Proudly serving our community with trusted hearing solutions.
Kulpmont, PA - Hazleton, PA
