Thanks for visiting, I would like to use my platform to raise as much awareness as possible and help people who are experienceing what I do, If my actions can help another little girl scared to go to school or an old man who has no company or support feel like they are once again apart of something, I'll be happy.

I'd like to share my experience as a member of the deaf community;

From the age of 3, During routine hearing tests, Specialists found tumours which was later recognised as bilateral cholesteatoma, I suffer from an unusal variant as they grown inward and upards instead of down and out, meaning dispite several surgeries, it would always return.

From then on, My hearing slowly started to depreciate, resulting in the requirement of hearing aids from the age of 9. During my school years, I was relentlessly bullied for this, which led to my refusal to wear them, being unable to hear made it hard for me to fit in, socialise or even understand my teachers!

At the age of 16, I was granted an operation in which they fitted bone anchored hearing aids to both sides. these eventually deteriorated over time and became less effective, When I as 19 and met my husband I still didn't really discuss my deafness and around 6 years ago he convinced me to go back to the hospital and request new equiptment, I could now hear clearly on the phone and listen to music (via bluetooth) .. I even heard a clock tick for the very first time!

Sadly on an evening when I have to take them out I am now unable to hear anything, not the phone ringing, dog barking or my Bobby crying.

It has always been a challange to try and go about day to day tasks as most of the aids available need to be self funded and are extremely expensive, as you can imagine this makes going about my day quite difficult sometimes!

I was then told my next stage would be to have cochlear implants installed, however as I undergone speech therapy and thats part of the test, I was deemed unsuitable.

Often I felt unsafe in my own home, lonely, secluded and I was avoiding socialising, We received a recommendation to contact hearing dogs UK, they offered great support but unfortunatly as we already had Shelby, Our rescue who we have put so much work into, I didn't qualify for a dog, However along with Shelby we now have Blue, who is learning how to help me the best she can!

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