A brother’s love

Hello and Happy Wednesday to you all. The kindness we experience through this group is phenomenal and really makes a difference to the lives of those who need it through our collective compassion. 

This week’s nomination is from me and I literally know it will change Michelle’s quality of life and her work life too and i will also personally help to make this happen for her by adding to the pot. 

Here’s the nomination. 

I would like to nominate my sister Michelle who is a member of 500 Reasons. She has always been hard of hearing and has worn aids for many years. 

Her hearing has deteriorated severely and I wondered if we can offer her some help to get the type of aids she now needs as it’s impacting on her life and especially her work.

Here’s what she says

Access to work won’t help me with aids, I have also applied for visual help as I have small cataracts formed and a membrane growth behind my left eye.   NHS have changed my aids but they are terrible and I’m struggling, like I’m under water and worse than before.  Private aids are around 2k for basic ones and I’m going to book a consultation soon but I can’t afford it yet.  I’m going to see if I can pay monthly if I put money down. I think you can with Specsavers or Boots.

Because my hearing has jumped from moderate to severe the NHS won’t support the aids I need due to cost and the ones they’ve given me hurt my inner ears (rigid moulds) and keep falling out as I have small ears and they are hurting me and the quality of sound is worse than before. I’m struggling to teach online as I feel like I’m in a tunnel/underwater with them in.  I can’t hear students as my laptop isn’t Bluetooth compatible or won’t sync to my aids. It’s exhausting and frustrating.

I am also avoiding certain business and social events if I have to engage in conversation in groups, as it’s overwhelming and I feel embarrassed if I can’t hear to answer people or contribute.  People are often tolerant and obliging but I get anxiety from these situations. 

Private aids have filters and can give better clarity rather than a dull amplified echo sound.  Any help would be appreciated. I’ve had to only provide face to face teaching on a 1-1 basis which also impacts my income as I used to teach small groups of 3-4. 

I’m devastated that the NHS, due to funds, are now denying provision of the better models that so many like me require now. My hearing loss is frequency based and will just continue to deteriorate every year at a fast rate.