Heiligenstadt Testament is a letter written in 1802 by Beethoven to his brother expressing despair at loosing his sense of hearing and being a master composer who needs the sense of hearing more than his life.

However the greatness of the Man is that he says that despite the said handicap he will continue to strive to overcome the handicap of hearing and compose his  music.

Beethoven lived till 1827 ie another 25 years being Stone deaf and composed greatest symphonies without able to hear a single one of them..