From isolation to a new lease of life with best friend Benson
Rarely far from Derek's side, the black Labrador is a constant support and companion, giving Derek back the confidence he thought he'd lost forever.
Derek has struggled with his hearing for as long as he can remember and began wearing hearing aids at the age of five. Growing up with hearing loss wasn't easy for the 64-year-old, who faced abuse at home and relentless bullying at school. He recalls, "I was the only child with a hearing aid, and that made me an easy target. The headmaster was the only person who showed me kindness."
Derek finally found acceptance when he was sent to Bridge House School for deaf boys near Leeds. "I never returned home," he says. "I was placed with a foster family - the Bensons. They were the first true family I'd ever known."
But as Derek built a life for himself, he faced rejection again and again. He remembers, "I wanted to join the army, but I was told I couldn't because of my deafness." Not one to give up, Derek carved out a career in catering. Yet his success cost him what was left of his hearing: "Kitchens are loud places, and my hearing was irreparably damaged."
Derek says, "Working as a deaf person was rarely simple. In one job, I helped set up a new restaurant. Two weeks after it opened, the manager told me he was letting me go because I was deaf."
Day-to-day life left Derek feeling vulnerable too. "I was once attacked from behind," he recalls. "I didn't hear them coming up behind me. And I've had several near misses with cars because I didn't hear them pulling out."
When Derek met his wife Angie, she quickly became his support: "She always had something to say to anyone who complained about me talking too loudly, and at home, I relied on her to be my ears." Sadly, Angie died eight years ago. Derek shares, "I'm bipolar, and her loss made the dark days darker, and the quiet even heavier."
Without Angie's reassurance, Derek stopped doing the things he enjoyed and began to feel isolated. Without her ears, he often missed what was happening around him. And when three fires broke out in Derek's tower block - one in the flat directly below - he had no idea. Firefighters were banging on his door, but Derek slept through it. He learnt what happened the next day from his daughter, who lives almost 200 miles away and heard it on the news.
It was thanks to his daughter's encouragement that Derek applied for a hearing dog. And thanks to the generosity of Hearing Dogs supporters, today, Derek has Benson by his side, keeping him safe and helping him find joy again.
"A woman who lived near me fundraised for Hearing Dogs and I donated whenever I could. But I never applied for a hearing dog myself as I had family who supported me, especially Angie. When I was told I was matched with a black Labrador and found out his name was Benson - the same surname as my foster family -, it felt like it was meant to be."
"Before Benson, I was withdrawing from life. Now, because of him, I've stepped back into it."
The minute Derek takes out his hearing aids, Benson becomes his ears. Through a gentle nudge, a knowing look or by leading the way, Derek feels connected to the world again. Yet the highly skilled hearing dog does more than help Derek navigate life safely. "He checks in on me and keeps me grounded. I'd be lost without him," says Derek, who credits Benson with helping him rebuild his life. "I've even taught him British Sign Language!"
"Having Benson beside me gives me confidence. He's very cheeky and loves meeting people and other dogs when we're out. Deafness is an invisible disability. But when people see Benson's Hearing Dogs jacket, they speak to me more clearly and with more patience.
