September 16, 2009, Los Angeles, Calif. - House Ear Institute has received a $500,000 gift from Rush Limbaugh in memory of Antonio De la Cruz, M.D. The gift will be used to help the House Ear Institute continue its mission of advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life.
Dr. De la Cruz passed away from complications of lymphoma at St. Vincent Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, on Friday morning, July 31, 2009, at the age of 65.
"Rush Limbaugh's gift is a testament to the care and treatment Dr. De la Cruz showed to all of his patients," said Jim Boswell, chief executive officer of the House Ear Institute. "In honor of Dr. De la Cruz' memory, we are pleased to accept the donation to continue the research and education that meant so much to him during his 35 years as a physician at the House Clinic and director of education at the institute."
Mr. Limbaugh had known Dr. De la Cruz since 2001 when Limbaugh became his patient after experiencing sudden hearing loss. Dr. De la Cruz, along with another House Clinic physician, diagnosed Limbaugh with auto-immune inner ear disease (AIED).
After a period of treatment with medication in an effort to save his residual hearing, Limbaugh and the House Clinic physicians decided to proceed with a cochlear implant to help restore a sense of hearing.
Mr. Limbaugh recently told the Los Angeles Times, "Dr. De la Cruz literally saved my career and got me my life back with that surgery. I wouldn't have been able to continue my career. For a month before I had the implant surgery, I did my show totally deaf."
For more information on cochlear implants, https://newsroom.hei.org/pr/hei/cochlear-implant-fact-sheet-102058.aspx.
About the House Ear Institute
The House Ear Institute (HEI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing hearing science through research and education to improve quality of life. Institute scientists research the auditory system, hearing loss and auditory diseases at the cellular, molecular and genetic levels. They also explore the neurological interactions between the auditory system and brain, and study ways to improve auditory implants, diagnostics, clinical treatments and intervention methods. The Institute shares its knowledge with the scientific and medical communities as well as the general public through its education and outreach programs. For more information about HEI please call (800) 388-8612 or visit www.hei.org.
