Poolside and beyond: hearing dog Kimmy is always there

Suz Hext, a Paralympian, Para Swimming World Champion and Para Dressage Triple European Gold Medallist, was achieving amazing things in the athletic spotlight.

But behind the scenes she was finding life tough due to her invisible disability — her deafness. Now, Suz’s hearing dog and canine training companion, Kimmy, has turned this around.

12 years ago, Suz’s life changed forever. When she was 23, the promising equestrian rider had a horse rear up and land on top of her. The accident left her paralysed from the waist down. Inspired by watching the 2012 Paralympics in hospital, Suz got back in the saddle and back to competing.

After winning three European Championship gold medals, Suz switched her focus to para swimming, having used it as part of her riding physio and fitness. She competed in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, and she won gold and silver medals in the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships.

“I’ve had hearing loss since I was born and for a long time managed quite well with hearing aids,” shared Suz. In 2020, it took a massive dive. By the end of the year I had almost no hearing.

“I felt extremely vulnerable and isolated. I worried about missing the smoke alarm and I didn’t sleep very well. I had a vibrating alarm clock pad, but I worried about it sliding out from under my pillow and making me miss training.”

Suz had to pull out of both the 2020 Paralympics after the first two races and the 2022 World Championships because she developed sepsis following an ear infection. “After that my surgeon agreed for me to have bilateral cochlear implants and bilateral blind sac closures, meaning both my ear canals have been closed to avoid infections.

“Before, I don’t know if I was more exhausted from lip-reading during training or from the physical training itself. Now, my coach has a microphone linked to my implants and I can hear him talking as I’m swimming along. That’s been an absolute game-changer. I feel incredibly lucky and hugely grateful.

“Although I wouldn’t change my cochlear implants for the world, it’s not like ‘normal’ hearing; you still struggle with listening and understanding people.

“A lot of people see my physical disability, but they don’t see my deafness. My speech is quite good, so if I have my hair down covering my cochlear implants, people don’t always realise.

“Even with friends, if I ask someone to repeat themselves more than once, they say ‘Don’t worry, it doesn’t matter.’ That hurts big time. I’m a pretty strong person, but I can come away from an evening feeling pretty low.

“Applying for a hearing dog was a massive step because it was me admitting I needed help, but the sense of relief was enormous. When Kimmy arrived in March 2023, she was a bundle of energy, wagging her tail so hard her bum wiggled!

“Her trainer said it might take time for her to react to my alarm clock, but straight after our first training session with my alarm, this great furry lump launched herself at me as soon as it went off!

“I know I can rely on Kimmy to wake me up. I’m currently training for the Paris Paralympics and I’m no longer checking the time during the night. That’s one of the biggest things for me, that anxiety has gone.

“Kimmy is a huge hit, particularly at the Bath University Sports Training Village. I love telling people about her. Everyone is always blown away by what she can do.

“Kimmy’s always got half an eye on me. If she falls asleep poolside, when she wakes up you can see her checking I’m still there in the lane beside her.

“Before, I didn’t like taking my implants off in the changing room after swimming in case a fire alarm went off. I now have the confidence to take the hearing breaks I need as sometimes it feels like sensory overload, and listening fatigue is exhausting. Now I know Kimmy will keep me safe.

“Not long after I was partnered with Kimmy, there was a fire alarm test at the hotel in Manchester. Straight away, she nudged me and dropped to the floor to let me know. The next day, there was another test alarm as I was warming up next to the pool. She was on it straight away. That was two days in a row, bless her!

“Kimmy creates awareness for other people about my deafness, and people are more understanding as a result. She’s a conversation starter, and because she’s so chilled about everything, she gives me confidence. She’s also made me more confident about letting my friends know how they can involve me more.

“If I’m having a tough day, seeing Kimmy happy makes me happy. When my nerve pain and spasms are bad, she comes and gently lies on me. She just knows.

“We’ve been to award dinners and weddings, and even went to the Sports Personality of the Year awards. She takes everything in her stride and loves our busy life together.

“‘Thank you’ doesn’t sum up how grateful I am. I thought any hearing dog would be amazing, but I could never have dreamt of the partnership I have with Kimmy. She’s the coolest dog in the world! Completely life-changing.”