‘Can you hear her? Is she crying?’
When Heather’s daughter, Liliana, was born, she was terrified she wouldn’t hear her cry. As her hearing deteriorated, so did her confidence.
It was while in the audiologist’s waiting room that Heather saw a leaflet for Hearing Dogs.
Heather's journey with the charity has transformed her life – from the arrival of her sound support dog Ginny in 2024, to the supportive technology at work secured with help from Hearing Link Services.
"On my first date with my husband, Nelson, I wore my hair down so he wouldn’t see my hearing aids as I was too embarrassed. Before we met, I thought I would spend the rest of my life alone.
"When our eldest daughter, Liliana, was born, we were rushed into surgery and they made me take my hearing aids out. Amongst the chaos, Nelson had to explain what I needed to do by mouthing to me.
"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.
"With the arrival of both Liliana and our second daughter Selina, my hearing loss put a lot of extra pressure on Nelson to be the ears for us both.
"Nelson and I love dogs and had two pet Golden Retrievers who passed away several years ago. We live with my parents and two years ago, we also lost their Golden Retriever, Sophie. Suddenly without her, if there was no one else in the house, I felt very vulnerable.
"One year later, a hearing test showed that I had almost completely lost my hearing. It was when I was sitting in the audiologist’s waiting room that I saw the leaflet for Hearing Dogs and decided to apply.
"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. We spoke to several people and 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 company knew I was deaf, I didn’t have the confidence to say I was struggling. But I felt empowered after visiting The Grange, so the next day I said to my manager, ‘I’ve just had an amazing day and I need to tell you that my hearing is a problem’.
"My manager was incredible. We found out about Access to Work funding through Hearing Link Services – the charity’s practical and emotional support services.
"She applied and I now have supportive technology at work. She also spoke to my team about how they can best support me. "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.
"She arrived with so many toys – you could just see how much she had been cared for and loved by her volunteers, Valerie and Brian. "Each morning, I kept thinking, ‘She’s still here!’.
"She gives me so much confidence. At home, she’s on the ball instantly with the cooker timer, my phone, the front door and the fire alarm. I really feel she could potentially save our lives in an emergency.
"Ginny is the missing piece of the puzzle in our family – something I hadn’t even realised was missing. "She’s taken a lot of pressure off and has changed everything for us. I can’t thank everyone at Hearing Dogs enough."