Help Nicola To Hear Better

Nicola was 2 years of age when she was diagnosed with a hearing loss in both ears and by 2.5 she was wearing hearing aids. She did really well for approximately 12 months and then her hearing started to disappear and then it would come back. This went on until she was diagnosed as profoundly deaf in both ears.

Just before Nicola turned 5 she had surgery to fit a cochlear implant in her right ear. This was a success. The government at the time funded for one implant.

Nicola has always been at a disadvantage in social situations and even more so now that she is getting older and is at High School now. It would be great to see Nicola keep up with her peers socially and academically especially at this crucial time of her life.

Having the second implant will help Nicola to hear a lot better in those noisy places, like the classroom and busy traffic. Nicola sometimes struggles to hear which direction cars are coming from and this can be very dangerous crossing roads or riding a bike.

Nicola would love to be able to fully join in with her friends when they are talking in a group, but at the moment Nicola can only deal with one on one conversations as she finds it extremely hard to keep up.

It is great that the Government had announced two funded cochlear implants in 2014 for children under 6, but unfortunately Nicola doesn't qualify for a second one under their criteria.

It would be fantastic for Nicola to be given a gift to hear a lot better as this will be with her for the rest of her life. Hearing is something that most of us take for granted on a daily basis.