For over ten years, Fedel Betances suffered from the slow loss of her hearing. She was scared, sad, and self-conscious. “I was ashamed to have to ask people to speak louder,” she remembers. “I would explain that I’m deaf and that I have to watch the movement of your lips while you talk so I can understand what you’re saying to me.”
Everything changed the day Fedel met otolaryngologist Dr. Avner Aliphas. “I had gone to Boston Medical Center, and they told me about this specialist, Dr. Aliphas, who spoke Spanish and was an excellent doctor,” she remembers.
At her first appointment with Dr. Aliphas, Fedel was won over. “He’s very kind and sweet, and you can tell he loves his career,” she says. “I never need an interpreter, because he speaks Spanish 100%, which makes me like him even more. I feel that Dr. Aliphas was an angel God had put in my path.”
Expert Care for Hearing Loss
Dr. Aliphas explained to Fedel that she had otosclerosis in both her ears, a condition that affects the tiny bone in the middle ear, called the stapes, and causes hearing loss. But Dr. Aliphas had good news for Fedel: that she could have a surgery called stapedectomy in both ears to reverse her hearing loss, and that he is an expert in this type of surgery. The surgery would replace the stapes in each ear with a tiny prosthesis that allows the transfer of sound into the inner ear. It was very likely she would hear again soon after surgery.
Dr. Aliphas took the time to review other options with Fedel, which included hearing aids. “Dr. Aliphas explains things to you in a way that you can understand,” says Fedel. “He has a serenity to him.” At first hesitant to pursue surgery, Fedel chose to start with hearing aids instead. They helped a little, but when she removed them at night, she could hear almost nothing.
Two Surgeries, Life-Changing Results
After ten years with hearing aids and more than 20 total years of hearing loss, Fedel made the decision to proceed with surgery on each ear. She had surgery on her left ear with Dr. Aliphas on January 24, 2025, and on her right ear on September 25. Her hearing was restored quickly. “As soon as I woke up from surgery, I could hear,” she says. “I never had any pain, no infections, no issues—everything was excellent. Dr. Aliphas is an excellent specialist, and I will always recommend him.”
Today, Fedel is happy to have put away her hearing aids and is enjoying a full life with her husband, Jaime, their four children, and five grandchildren. “My life has completely changed for the better,” she says. “I was born again.”
Fedel wants others with hearing loss to know there is hope. “Don’t be afraid of having surgery like me,” she says. “Put your faith in God and then in the hands of Dr. Aliphas. He gave me health. He will resolve your problem.”