A positive story

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When I was first diagnosed with Usher type II it hit me hard. I was 18, working as a plumber and training to do gas work. I had grand plans to start up my own business and advertise to single mums and pensioners who did not want a man in the house. In the moments that followed diagnosis I knew that I would not be able to continue with that dream.

I carried on for a while, perhaps in denial, but the day came when I was servicing a boiler and I dropped a screw, I subsequently had to spend half a day looking for the screw before I could put the boiler back together again. I knew then I would need to quit.

For a while I did not know what to do with my life, I worked in a Post Office for a while before being offered a job in a Paediatric Audiology Department as a secretary. Suddenly my hearing loss became something I grew thankful for as I was able to help parents come to terms with the diagnosis of hearing impairments in their newborn children. 

I took it to the next level and went to university to get the qualifications to become an Audiologist. I then transferred to an Adult Department and started fitting hearing aids, transforming lives and getting told often that I'm changing lives.

My hearing loss became my biggest strength in that it gave patients trust that I too understood what it is like to be hearing impaired.

Now I work privately and am able to try the latest hearing aids that are out on the market, spend the time with patients who need it and my job is so much more rewarding than plumbing ever was.

Sight wise, I'm still able to safely look in ears and I can still work with the tiny components of the hearing aids. I no longer drive but my Guide Dog gets me to and from work on the bus. I know that if ever a day comes that I no longer can safely do my job I can perhaps look to work in other areas of Audiology.

It was a horrible diagnosis, but in hindsight it has made my life so much more rewarding.

I hope my story can give hope to others both newly diagnosed and those who have been living with it for a while. Things are still possible, you just may need to accept a different path but one that may take you on a better journey.

Emma