When I was about 5 I would go away on holidays with our nextdoor
neighbours.
They had a beach house down south of Adelaide. I was best
friends with their daughter Catherine.
We were in the water and all of a sudden the father swam up to
me and then to my horror began dumping me under the waves.
I screamed in terror but he kept at it laughing all the
time. The waves at the time seemed huge to me.
Finally a person came up to Mr. Fowler and pushed him away.
He was so angry. Then he picked me up and carried me to shore.
I will always been indebted to him as I hate to think what
might have happened if he hadn't shown up.
Mr. Fowler was a doctor and who would have thought he would
do a thing like that.
My parents told me never to see Catherine again.
We moved and that was the last I saw her.
To this day I believe that was the onset of my hearing
problems.
From then on I had ear infection after ear infection. The wax
used to literally run to my shoulders. The kids were cruel
to me and called me all sorts of names.
At times I couldn't hear the teacher and would be reprimanded
for not listening.
Mum would take me back to the hearing specialist for another
ear cleanout.
I had lots of ear operations throughout my life. The doctor
is a well known top specialist in Adelaide. I knew I was in
safe hands.
They used to cut behind the ear now they go through the
canal. When they cut behind the ear it has left me with
pain because they had to cut the tendons and ligaments
which will always be the case when making a cut into a
person's body. When I had my hysterectomy in 1990 they cut
a long the bottom of my stomach from one side to the other.
Now I have numbness and pain as well as being heavy.
One of my ear operations I had in the last few years was one
where I was 7th in the world to have it done. They replaced
a bone and made a new artificial one. Unfortunately, it
failed as well.
I used to hate wearing hearing aids at school. Again because
of ridicule.
I attended speech therapy for most of my childhood.
It wasn't until I was a legal secretary that I overcame my
fear of being ridiculed by the other employees.
I did have a few jobs where I was sacked because I couldn't
hear or speak properly. Shorthand and typing were my forte
and because I was a quick typist I found it easy to get a
job in the 1970's and 1980's. I was still laughed at.
I was extremely proud of myself when I did a course of
shorthand and typing after I left school.
I had to lip-read the teacher when taking shorthand and
wonder of wonders I passed. It was 80% which was the pass
mark. I couldn't believe it nor could my parents.
I hated wearing hearing aids when I found a boyfriend.
When I was 18 I was going out with the love of my life for
2 years. We were chatting one day and he told me that he
had to break it off because he was scared that if we ever
got married we would have children like me (my speech and
hearing).
I was so upset and angry and have never forgotten that remark
because I did end up having specialneeds children.
Fiona my eldest with cerebral palsy and profoundly deaf and
no speech.
Mandy my youngest with speech and hearing problems as me.
I was devasted but with time we all learned to accept our
hearing loss but Mandy does have fears that something
might happen to her good ear which has about 80% of hearing.
At 20 she will not wear a hearing aid and I being in her
position can understand why. She will wear one when she
is ready to. You can't push it.
What the future will hold I do not know but I am so glad
I have my in the ear hearing aids because they do not show.
The audiologist I go to told me I should really have the
hearing aids that go behind the ears because they have
better sound for my type of hearing. For the moment I
can hear so much better.
We do sign language with my daughter Fiona. Mandy and I
went to classes.
I love it when we go out and see people who are signing.
They do not worry who sees them.
Half the battle is won by accepting that you have
hearing loss.
