Learning by experience is a wonderful thing but sometimes it's better to be someone else's experience!

“Happy is the hearing man; unhappy the speaking man.” 
~  Ralph Waldo Emerson  ~

Unfortunately I had to tell someone I couldn’t hear!

 
In June 2015 I will be attending the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in Gray’s Inn Road, London for a cochlear implant operation. I had done well with my deafness for thirty years but then the last five have been a depressing struggle. While I wait for my surgery I want to share my deaf experiences for those also on this journey and to help others, if I can. When I looked for information from past recipients I found very few of a personal nature. We are all unique so the comparison will not be perfect anyway but I wanted to find someone like me, to see what I might become. For what I might be able to salvage of my life and improve on, rather than have to give up as I was expecting to have to.

There are some inspiring deaf people out there doing envious things. I want to show that there is common ground to share and avenues to explore that might make a difference for the better. My time has been liberally sprinkled with frustration, disappointment and ignorance mixed in with a lot of laughs at my ineptitude at trying to make sense of it all. 

Now after thirty six years of trying to get used to it, all is going to change.

But in what way?

How much and am I going to like it?

Do I really want to lose my quiet world?

Just how much noisier is 2015 than 1978?

…..   and what will my brain make of it all?

Until “The Day” reveals the reality I will just chat about the past and how I got to here with some of the good and the not so good times along the way. 

Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with me, our hindsight may become someone else's foresight.