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Legislation being considered in Congress that would require insurance providers to cover hearing aid devices is the brainchild of a now 11-year-old girl.

Ally Tumblin, now a fifth-grade student in Colorado, was 9 years old and in third grade when she received a homework assignment to do something to better her community, with one option being to write a letter to an elected official about an important cause.

"She looked at me and was like, 'Mom, my BAHA,'" said Ally's mother, Melissa Tumblin. "And that was the start of it."

As Colorado continues to recover from the record-breaking wildfire season seen in 2020, U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse will hold a public wildfire recovery listening session to hear from Coloradans who have been affected by the fires.

According to a press release from Neguse’s office, the session will feature a discussion with Gov. Jared Polis, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. John Hickenlooper and Neguse. The meeting is meant to “provide an open forum for Coloradans to share their feedback, challenges and experiences in the wake of these deadly fires.”

Melissa Tumblin has spent the past 10 years advocating for the hearing community after her daughter, Ally, was born without a right ear.

But as hard as Melissa had been working, one letter marked a turning point: a letter written by Ally to U.S. Rep Joe Neguse.

For a school assignment, Ally wrote a letter to a lawmaker about something she cared about. As Ally brainstormed for the assignment, she exclaimed, “Mom, my BAHA!” Melissa recalled.

Ally was referring to her bone anchored hearing aid, often called a BAHA. She wrote a letter to Neguse dated May 1, 2019.

At first, the trip unfolded as just an academic tracing of family history. 

John Tonai had for years heard the stories from his father, Minoru, about the Amache internment camp in southeastern Colorado, where the U.S. government transported thousands of Japanese Americans from California and held them behind barbed wire and guard posts for three years during World War II. The family lore became a constant soundtrack that, over time, receded to a kind of background noise — always heard, seldom absorbed.