Elyana and Gordon

A young girl is hugging a black labrador and smiling while being sat in a house with a window and radiator in the background

Elyana's childhood is now more carefree thanks to Gordon.

Hearing loss can have a devastating impact on children. Elyana was struggling until hearing dog Gordon gave her a lifeline.

Elyana’s mum Silvie explains:

We first noticed signs of hearing loss in Elyana when she was just two and a half years old. There’s no history of deafness in our family so, at first, we thought her language delay was because of her bilingual upbringing ‒ English, Dutch and Spanish.

Call it mother’s intuition, but I felt that something wasn’t quite right from early on. Yet even when she was finally diagnosed, it still came as quite a shock. Elyana’s hearing loss has been progressive, and despite genetic testing, the cause remains unknown.

A young girl is stood up hugging her mum from behind, her mum is sat down both are smiling at the camera
Two younger boys and a slightly older girl are smiling or laughing and huddled together all hugging a black labrador

Elyana then received cochlear implants. Surgery went well and she recovered quickly, receiving lots of speech and language support as she transitioned to primary school. But while Elyana adapted to the implants, she faced other challenges around bullying and making friends.

Perhaps you have experienced hearing loss yourself, or someone you love has. You might recognise some of the anxieties that Elyana has struggled with.

At her lowest points, she would tear her own hair out in clumps or would spend the day vomiting when everything got too much. We thought the carefree moments of childhood were gone for good. For us as parents, it felt really tough. We didn’t know how to help, or what to do for the best.

But our BFG (Big Friendly Gordon) did.

A family consisting of a dad, a mum, two younger boys and a slightly older girl with a black labrador are all sat on a pebble beach with beach huts in the background smiling at the camera
A young girl reads to a black labrador while they are at on a bed with a pile of books to their left of them

The arrival of Elyanaʼs hearing dog, Gordon, has transformed her life, her confidence, and her self-belief.

Matching us with Gordon took some time ‒ and that’s a good thing! Gordon is our first dog as a family, and the wonderful Hearing Dogs staff were careful to make sure that not only would a dog fit into our life, but that we could offer a dog a safe and happy home. The hardest part for Elyana was waiting for her BFG! When we received the email saying she had been matched with a dog, the kids were running around the kitchen. We were all just so excited!

Originally, we thought a hearing dog would offer Elyana safety and companionship – but Gordon gives her so much more. At night when she doesn’t wear her [hearing] processors, not being able to see or hear was very frightening. Elyana also had issues sleeping, which is a common issue for deaf children to experience. Gordon was able to give her reassurance that she wasn’t alone in the dark and silence – if a smoke alarm went off, he would alert her'

He wakes her up in the morning by pulling her duvet off and gives Elyana focus and routine as she is responsible for feeding and brushing him every day. And when she returns from school, Gordon is over the moon to see her.

Elyana is totally committed to Gordon. Their bond is so strong, and Elyana’s confidence has grown so much when she is out and about with Gordon, she’s like a different child.