Former Miss USA Shawnae Jebbia Shines with Siemens Pure

CLEARWATER, Fla., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- ADA's 2009 Convention -- When
Shawnae Jebbia won the Miss USA crown in 1998, it was the start of a fairytale
career. She appeared at events throughout the world, worked as a model, and
hosted her own fitness show. But Shawnae's world unexpectedly changed when she
was diagnosed with hearing loss. After living a life full of traveling and
adventure, she had a difficult time understanding and accepting the sudden
hearing loss diagnosis she faced at just 27 years of age. Now, Shawnae wears
Siemens Pure® 700 hearing instruments, which have completely changed her life
for the better. Thanks to the sophisticated new hearing instruments and
Shawnae's bright and optimistic attitude, she has become a remarkable and
humble role model for people with hearing loss.

Shawnae Jebbia had a thriving career as an outgoing, energetic television
personality when she began to notice changes in her hearing. At first Shawnae
attributed the changes to her busy travel schedule and recurring allergies,
until she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Meniere's disease, a condition that
is characterized by fluctuating hearing loss, tinnitus or ringing in the ears,
and dizziness.

Shawnae found it difficult to keep up with the disease when she was first
diagnosed, as she struggled to understand the condition and the steps that she
needed to take to address it. But as a result of her diagnosis, Shawnae knew
that the smart thing to do was to seek help from hearing instruments, a
decision that she is grateful for to this day. Shawnae was fit with Siemens
Pure 700 hearing instruments, which feature the most advanced hearing
technology in an almost invisible, ultra-small platform.

"Pure is so tiny no one notices it. Not even me. Both personally and socially,
it gives me the confidence to do what I want," Shawnae says. "Pure hides, so I
can shine."

Siemens Pure hearing instruments are equipped with intuitive technology that
reduces the volume for loud sounds while increasing it for soft sounds.
Siemens revolutionary TruEar® technology stimulates the acoustical functions
of the outer ear while separating sounds in front of the wearer from sounds
behind the wearer. Pure includes e2e® technology, which wirelessly
synchronizes both instruments so the wearer can localize sounds from left to
right. Sound Brilliance(TM), another new technology, enhances the perception
of high-pitched sounds to give the wearer a richer, fuller and more natural
hearing experience.

Pure hearing instruments also feature FeedbackBlocker(TM)to automatically
eliminate feedback patterns, providing ultimate sound comfort. SoundSmoothing®
reduces annoying sounds such as dishes clanging, without affecting speech.
Shawnae's Pure 700 hearing instruments go even further with Siemens enhanced
SoundLearning®, which not only remembers her volume preferences, but also
learns her sound quaility preferences.

Shawnae has further enhanced her Pure 700 hearing instruments with the Siemens
Tek® wireless system, which streams audio directly from televisions, cell
phones and MP3 players into her Pure instruments using Bluetooth® wireless
technology. Tek allows for phone signals to be transmitted to both ears,
giving the hearing instrument wearer an advantage that other people do not
have.

"Listening to the phone in both ears is amazing! And it was great to watch TV
again without having to read subtitles," Shawnae says. "Tek has opened up new
worlds for me. It's with me wherever I go."

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the
healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory
diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens is the
only company to offer customers products and solutions for the entire range of
patient care from a single source - from prevention and early detection to
diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows
for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and
more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 49,000 employees
worldwide and operates in over 130 countries. In fiscal year 2008 (to
September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.2 billion euros and profit of
1.2 billion euros. For further information please visit:
www.siemens.com/healthcare.

SOURCE Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc.

Tina Cecere-Hunter of Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc. +1-732-529-3638,
tina.cecere-hunter@siemens.com