"I change people's lives."

Maryanne Furlani didn't go into business to make a profit.

“I change people's lives. There's no doubt in my mind.”

Furlani owns Hearing and Speech of Western New York in Cheektowaga. It provides children under the age of five with hearing and speech therapy.

“We take them from not being able to say words, to having full sentences,” she explained.

Furlani's been a speech pathologist since 1981. But, it wasn't until 2008 when she decided to buy the existing practice.

Reporter Ali Touhey: Was it scary?

Furlani: Yea, very scary. I went back to school. I'm a speech pathologist by trade so i didn't know anything about running a business.

Furlani's only grown the practice since then.

She expanded the business to offer occupational and physical therapies, audiology, school psychology and special education services. Her goal is to help those who often feel helpless.

“When you see someone learning, it's just incredible.”