Nathans hearing fund

Nathan is 23 years old and is in his final weeks of completing his postgraduate degree in primary school teaching with a massive desire to work with special needs children. Nathan is a keen sportsman and enjoys every opportunity to get out and about in little old Nelson.

Early this year Nathan suddenly lost his hearing in his right ear, with all doctors and specialists unable to explain the cause. Shortly after going for a swim Nathan found himself with the feeling of water stuck in his ear, soon being told he had completely lost hearing on that side. This was also paired with a loud constant ringing sound (tinnitus) in his ear which affects him day to day.

This has greatly affected Nathans life, especially in social and loud situations, where he almost finds these occasions to hard to handle due to the difficulty to hear and the heightening ringing inside his head. Nathan is very aware that loud sounds and noises in the classroom are going to happen daily and has found some sense of hope with a cochlear implant. In order to be able to have directional sound and ease the tinnitus, a cochlear implant is the next option.

Nathan has tried hearing aids and white noise in his ear to help ease his ringing, none which have made a significant difference.

Cochlear implants are not cheap, approximately $40,000 depending on the rehab and success of the surgery. Nathan does not qualify for any funding from the Government due to the Government not funding single sided hearing loss and is now up to the task to find this money!

Seeing Nathan go through this change in his life has had its moments, he has felt as though he has lost some sense of who he was, and was scared this would affect his career in the classroom. A cochlear implant will not only give Nathan back his hearing in his ear but a sense of confidence to be able to carry on to reach his goals and make a positive difference in the many students he will teach.