Meet Jack Rubinacci, a long-time musician who has opened and toured with artists such as Lionel Richie, Arcade Fire, The Script, Joe Cocker and many more. Jack has suffered from tinnitus since 2002 and tinnitus has been a daily struggle for him ever since. He describes his tinnitus as severe. But Jack is not one to just lay down and give up. He started a YouTube channel where he talks candidly about his tinnitus – it’s called Jack Rubinacci Tinnitus Channel.

On his channel he gives hope to others struggling with severe tinnitus by describing how he copes with the daily ups and downs of living with tinnitus. He doesn’t sugarcoat how awful tinnitus can be. But he also aims to find hope within even the darkest moments, and give hope to others in a similar position.

One of the things that gives him hope is being part of Tinnitus Quest as our PR Manager. He has spent countless hours over the past few months reaching out to artists like him who suffer from tinnitus – and there are so many! He recorded video interviews with 18 musicians, producers, authors, and other creatives. These are people who have (for the most) part suffered in silence, because of the taboo on speaking out about your tinnitus. But once a few of them spoke up, more wanted to join in. For many it was a relief to finally open up. This project is thus creating an ever larger snowball effect.

Jack is positive that we will be able to break through the stigma and get tinnitus the attention it deserves: “Tinnitus has been a huge taboo in the music industry for decades. I speak to musicians around the world on a daily basis, and so many struggle with not just the tinnitus, but also with the feeling of isolation and fear about their careers, made worse by the fact that so few people within the industry have been open about their struggles with tinnitus. This is one of the reasons why I’m so dedicated to my work with Tinnitus Quest. I had been hoping for something like this to come along ever since I got tinnitus. We are breaking down doors within the creative arts, giving a platform to artists to speak about their struggles, and involving people around the world in silencing tinnitus.”

Over the coming weeks and months, you’ll see Jack’s artist videos pop up on our website in a new section called Stories. We believe in the power of storytelling to create change, and in the power of the tinnitus community to successfully push for a cure.

Watch Jack speak about his passion for Tinnitus Quest: