Ringing in the ears is "only" a small malfunction of the auditory system, nothing physically dangerous. But, the torture and havoc that this condition can wreak, can and does destroy lives! Tinnitus suffers are told, "Go home and learn how to live with it!" Many commit suicide. Who would believe that ears can torture and kill?

Seventeen percent of the world population have tinnitus, that's one billion in the world. Over 250 million suffer enough to need help. That leaves 750 million who have tinnitus but are able to be okay! Our brain wants to automatically "habituate" or ignore tinnitus. For many millions, this is possible. For others, like myself, this was an impossibility.

My past tinnitus condition started out with one high-pitched shrill tone just like my deceased father's electric saw. Then I heard loud booming noises followed by a drum roll. During the following weeks, my tinnitus kept progressing with new sounds.

I heard church bells--clang, clang, clang--a very high-pitched flute-like sound which was my original first tone--eeeeee--high frequency beating tones--ding dong, ding dong, ding dong, ding dong--lower-frequency harp tones resounding back and forth--bing bong, bing bong, bing bong, bing bong--with a constant hisss hisss hisss swish swish swishing and clicking noises mixed in.

The beating sounds kept changing in velocity and rhythm. They echoed one another. I heard boom boom boom boom one day, and then b'boom b'boom b'boom b'boom the next.

MY TINNITUS PROGRESSED TO 12 SOUNDS; THEY WERE ALL CONSTANT, AND ALL WERE RESOUNDING AT THE SAME TIME.

"Help me kill myself, Celia. You have to! I can't go on any longer." Carol runs into the arms of the neighbor she's so attached to. "If you care about human suffering, you'll help me end this."