‘Can you hear her? Is she crying?’
When Heather’s daughter, Liliana was born, she was terrified she wouldn’t hear her cry
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“I was rushed into surgery and they made me take my hearing aids out. Nelson [my husband] had to explain what I needed to do by mouthing to me. When she was born, I remember saying to him, ‘Can you hear her? Is she crying?’
In the months that followed, I would lay at night with my hand on Liliana’s chest so I could feel her breathing. I was so worried I would miss her crying.”
Life wasn’t always like this.
“I could hear perfectly until I was 17, when I contracted meningitis. As my hearing deteriorated, I became more and more withdrawn and lost a lot of confidence. On my first date with Nelson, I wore my hair down so he wouldn’t see my hearing aids as I was too embarrassed.”
After becoming a mother, Heather’s struggles with her deafness worsened. As she lost more of her hearing, she began to feel unsafe at home. And in her workplace, she was struggling alone, in silence.
“It was only when I was sitting in the audiologist’s waiting room that I saw the leaflet for Hearing Dogs and decided to apply. In 2024, when I was told they’d found me my sound support dog, Ginny, I honestly thought my heart was going to fall out of my chest. Each morning, I kept thinking, ‘She’s still here!’
Ginny gives me so much confidence. I really feel she could save our lives in an emergency.
“My parents have always been there to help and support me as much as they can. On my first visit to the charity’s southern training centre, The Grange, my dad came with me. Afterwards, he said, ‘I never realised how difficult it was for you’. That day really opened my eyes to the fact that I wasn’t alone. All of a sudden, I felt proud to be deaf.
“Although my current company knew I was deaf, I didn’t have the confidence to say I was struggling. The very next day, after visiting the Grange, I said to my manager, ‘I’ve just had an amazing day and I need to tell you that my hearing is a problem."
Through our Hearing Link Services, Heather learnt about Access to Work funding. She successfully applied and now has supportive technology at work. Together with her sound support dog, Ginny and your generous support, Heather is rebuilding a life of connection, companionship and confidence.
