Meet Carol Beaumont

I would like to share the story of my journey from silence, back to the world of sound – thanks to Cochlear.

When I was 3 to 4 years of age because I hadn’t learned to speak, Mum took me to the specialist, who told her I would not learn unless I had a hearing aid. So I was given one. With that I learnt to talk so quickly I didn’t need speech therapy. I didn’t like wearing it, hating it because it made me feel different.

I attended mainstream schools, with visits once a term from the Glendonald school for deaf. But I did so well that these visits were discontinued. I never really made allowances for my hearing loss. My first job was at a library. I really loved it but was asked to resign due to the perception that I was having difficulty at the front counter.

Life continued and I didn’t think much about my hearing. One year I contracted Ross River Virus and a really bad cold a few months later. I noticed then that I could barely hear even when my hearing aid was turned on.

Fortunately I recovered but found I was having more and more bad hearing days. I became increasingly reliant on an assistive listening device; I couldn’t have a one-on-one conversation without it. I thought this was due to the age of my hearing aid and trialled a new one, but it didn’t help. I went to the GP, who said I was likely to go totally deaf and referred me to a specialist who confirmed my hearing was declining, but told me I heard ‘too well’ for a Cochlear Implant and nothing could be done to help me.

Once again on holidays while camping in 2000, I suffered an allergic reaction. I did recover but found I could no longer understand my family without my hearing aid. It got to the point where, even with my aid, I couldn’t have a conversation with someone across my lounge room. To hear them I had to sit on the floor at their feet. I avoided softly spoken people. I could not use the phone and I had to get someone else to make appointments for me. I hated music, because it was a constant reminder of what I could no longer hear. Unfortunately most people didn’t understand I was grieving for my loss.

One day my neighbour told me about a Cochlear Implant surgeon. Thus began my journey back to the world of sound. I walked into his surgery and the first thing he said was: ‘You need help’. Testing was long and arduous, but when the evaluation was complete, it was confirmed I was a suitable candidate for an implant. The operation went smoothly and I went home the next day. Switch-on was interesting. In a few minutes the noise had settled down and people sounded like modified versions of themselves. I could actually understand them.

At home, the first thing I heard was a dripping tap. I wandered around trying to find it, but I couldn’t. Perplexed, I went back to the family room and something made me look up. It was the clock ticking!! A sound I’d never really heard before – it is still a favourite sound. I have discovered a whole new range of wonderful sounds. I have found that my greatest hearing success is with softly spoken people. I have regained the ability to hear on the phone at work, I can hear the full range of sounds, and once again I can enjoy music.