It’s been about three months since KHTS Co-Owner Carl Goldman was diagnosed with a tumor in his right ear, which has been causing a significant hearing loss since last summer.

While doctors are almost certain the tumor is benign, because of its difficult location and connection with the blood flow of Goldman’s brain, doctors have adapted a “wait-and-see” approach over a six-month period before determining a course of action.

“It’s always a challenge when something happens to you physically that people just take for granted, like hearing, so it’s made me become so aware of and appreciative of good health,” Goldman said.

He continued, “I consider myself very, very lucky because I don’t think anything I’m going through is life-threatening, or even that much of a shift in my work habits or anything else, so I’ve basically surrendered to it, embraced it for what it is and now am determined to make the best of it and work through and figure out the best ways I can overcome the challenge.”

When Goldman first began having issues with his hearing in summer of 2017, he went to Nola Aronson of Advanced Audiology for a free hearing screening, and noted she has been by his side, even working directly with his doctors, during this entire process.

“Nola has been incredible through this journey,” Goldman said. “She has been not only very, very understanding, but she’s gone out of her way to find hearing devices, hearing aids that will work best for me. In my situation, I have a little bit of a moving target still … so she’s been working with me on trying a variety of devices that will give me the best ability to hear, and then I’m going in weekly and fine tuning that so each week my hearing through the devices is getting better and better.”

Related: Santa Clarita Audiologist Ends Feuds Between Married Couples About ‘Selective Hearing’ By Offering Free Hearing Screenings

Goldman’s wife, KHTS Co-Owner Jeri Seratti-Goldman, noted that her husband has lost most of his hearing in his affected ear, and that this may be his new “normal” if doctors determine the tumor can’t be surgically removed, making Aronson’s determination to find a solution even more significant.

“This could be his new way of life,” Seratti-Goldman said. “(Nola’s) perseverance with this is just amazing… (She’s) trying to get something that will work, and she’s not stopping until she does.”

Goldman compared his experience working with Aronson to his father-in-law’s experience at a big box store, noting, “The difference on a daily basis is night and day.”

“He gets decent care at one of the big box stores … and probably saves some money doing it, but he is still struggling,” Goldman said. “Because he chose to go that route instead of someone like Nola, he’s not getting the adjustments and customization that he needs.”

Looking back on the process, Goldman said his wife actually noticed the changes to his hearing “long before” he did.

“I used to kid around that I was having listening problems with my wife, not hearing problems,” he joked. “And I’m sure a lot of other husbands thought they were suffering from listening problems, when in reality it might be a hearing problem.”

Goldman is now using his experience with his wife noticing the hearing loss first to encourage others to have their hearing checked as soon as possible if the people around them start to notice a problem.

“Maybe others can benefit from that, that if your spouse starts noticing something or others start noticing something, that should be a good wake-up call,” Goldman said. “Because the sooner you can deal with it the better. And in my case, I happen to have a tumor that supposedly only one in 100,000 people get, but the other 99,999 who are suffering from hearing losses, there are things that can be done to correct it if they catch it sooner rather than later.”

Did you spot a correction? Let us know by emailing Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and sign up for KHTS email and text alerts today!