Ann
Dated: 04/05/2011

Ann's hearing deteriorated over a period of time, until she became profoundly deaf. She explains the experience.

"Imagine, as a mother, not hearing your newborn baby cry, or not hearing your loved ones talking to you. Picture, if you can, the total isolation and the misery caused by being profoundly deaf. Slowly withdrawing from life, in order to protect your sanity and avoid misunderstandings when lip reading; the erosion of self confidence; the hurt and embarrassment when yet another person, tired of repeating something says, in exasperation 'Oh it doesn't matter'.

"But it did matter, it mattered a lot. I wanted to hear and be able to communicate. I didn't want my family to live in the shadow of deafness and all its ensuing problems.

"Now I am once again a member of the hearing world thanks to the fantastic efforts of Mr. Raine, the Ear Trust and the team at the YCIS. A cochlear implant restored my hearing and my self esteem. Having the operation was scary and it took a huge mental effort to retrain my brain to recognise sounds. But the results are amazing and my introverted world has opened up to one of noisy enthusiasm.

"I can hear and communicate with anyone and everything a hearing person takes for granted, but to us it's a truly life changing experience."