1/2 Johan regains his lost hearing aid during the parade: ‘Wonder of Zundert’
He can’t believe his luck, 88-year-old Johan van Broekhoven from Schiedam. He lost his hearing aid during the flower parade last Sunday. He was in sackcloth and ashes because it was an expensive thing. But unexpectedly good news came from Zundert: the hearing aid had been found! He went to pick it up himself on Monday.
A little nervously, Johan tears open the white envelope he has just received. But when he sees what’s inside, a big smile appears on his face. “Yes, that’s him! I’m completely moved, I’m shaking.”
With tears in his eyes he explains: “The chance was so small that my hearing aid would be found. There were 50,000 people in Zundert. Someone could have stepped on it or a parade float could have driven over it. I didn’t even know where I lost the device.” But Johan really wanted the hearing aid back. Because having a new one made would cost between 500 and 800 euros.
“The battery is dead, but I can hear again tomorrow.”
Johan was lucky. It turned out that he had lost his hearing aid at the Het Nonnekeshof activity center. Gerrie van Vugt found it there on the ground. “I asked if one of the visitors had lost a hearing aid. But that was not the case. Because I know how expensive those things are, I kept it anyway.”
Meanwhile, Johan was at his wits’ end. He did everything he could to track down his hearing aid. For example, he approached Omroep Brabant. When an article appeared on our site, Gerrie discovered that Johan was the owner. On Monday he came all the way from Schiedam to Zundert to pick up his hearing aid. When asked why he does not immediately put the device in his ear, he answers with a laugh: “The battery is empty. It only lasts a day. But I will immediately charge it at home, so I can hear well again tomorrow.”
“The flower parade was beautiful, but this is even more beautiful.”
Johan can hardly believe that his hearing aid turned up a week after the parade. “The flower parade was beautiful, but this is even more beautiful. I am very grateful, it is indescribable. It is a miracle, the miracle of Zundert.”
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