I had this happen to me a long time ago. I woke up hearing the thing scratching/chewing at my eardrum, and it's extremely painful.

Cockroaches cannot walk backwards, so when in a confined space like that, they'll naturally try to chew their way forward.

Advice, should this ever happen to anyone else, as long as you catch it early and don't have a hole in your eardrum, is to pour rubbing alcohol in your ear, then of course go see a doctor.

Rubbing alcohol will like immediately kill the little demon, preventing any further chewing, but of course you'll need to see a doctor to get it out.

I feel really bad for the woman though, sounds like she didn't catch it early enough, as apparently more damages were done which prompted surgery. If you catch it early enough, it should be about as simple as killing it and removing it with tweezers.

Luckily I have absolutely no hearing loss after my experience, largely because I thought quick to kill it with rubbing alcohol.

I hope her landlord pays up, that's really messed up.