I'm Indiana, and I'm 14, almost 15. After fifteen years of living out of state, I was pretty surprised when my dad, Dr. Luke Edelmayer, an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor at Ogden Clinic specializing in cochlear implants for deaf people, moved us back home. We were living in the mountains of Arizona, and he took a position at the Ogden Clinic. Being homeschooled meant it was easy for us kids to pick up and leave, but moving states is never fun. We’ve lived in some unique places—Florida, Georgia, and Virginia—so I was super curious about his devotion to this one city.
Dad didn't have life handed to him. When he and my mom, Mandy, met, he was living in his car and working at Tony's Pizza. Mom saw right through the tattoos and the smell of smoke to find one of the kindest hearts in the world. She decided he was a genius and nudged him to consider a career in medicine. He laughed and told her, "You have to be rich to become a doctor." She just laughed in return and said, "Not in America." So, he enrolled in anatomy at Weber State and completely fell in love with it.
My life has been a series of moves across the country. Everywhere my dad trained, he received amazing job offers, and each time, I hoped he'd take them. But his heart was always set on Ogden. He and Mom grew up here; they went to Bonneville High and got married in the Union Station. I get that it’s home to them, but I had to ask Dad, "Do you truly think Ogden is better than a house near the ocean?"
That’s when he explained the real reason. He said, "I can't tell you the joy it brings me to restore the hearing of one of my elementary teachers, to stop the dizziness of my friends’ parents, or to fix the noses of their children. These are the people who saw through my worn clothes, the people who loved me for who I was and not what I wore."
My dad is truly a man of many talents; he, along with his four children and my mom, Mandy, plays several instruments. We all love music, which is part of why he chose ENT. When I asked him why he specialized in cochlear implants, he just smiled and said, "Because I love music. I can't imagine life without others being able to hear music, so I wanted to help."
Helping others is just part of who he is. He also volunteers for veterans with hearing loss because he believes in serving those who served us. I once read a letter from one of his cochlear implant patients who is indigenous to the Navajo Nation. It said, "I write this with tears falling. Last night, for the first time in my life, I fell asleep to the sound of rain pattering against my roof. I could hear my dog scratching against my door and the howl of a coyote. Other people may take those simple sounds for granted, but I will cherish them forever."
Some people think cochlear implants are only for people born without hearing, but the majority of patients he sees are grandparents who want to listen to their grandkids' laughter.
So why Ogden, Dad? I finally see it. It's because whether he’s living in an old car, a friend's basement, or a beautiful house, home is not about where you live, but who you live with.