Wavemaker
of the Day
Mark Ruffalo
American actor and producer
1967-
Mark Ruffalo is a stage and screen actor known for playing Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the Marvel universe as well as roles in Spotlight, The Kids Are All Right, 13 Going on 30, and, most recently The Adam Project among many others.
In 2001, Ruffalo was diagnosed with a benign tumor, called a vestibular schwannoma or acoustic neuroma, growing on his left-side acoustic nerve. The surgery to remove the tumor left Ruffalo deaf on that side and with partial facial paralysis. While the paralysis resolved over time, he remains deaf in his left ear.
People with single-side deafness use many of the same accommodations as people with bilateral hearing loss, including a reliance on lip reading and facial expressions, asking clarifying questions, and seeking quiet environments. Single-side deafness also makes it very difficult to locate which direction sounds are coming from because sound waves are only being processed by one ear, so all sounds always seem like they're coming from that side!
