Miss-Delectable
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Being deaf a huge challenge | Stuff.co.nz
Profound hearing loss in her late 20s led to depression and social isolation for Donna Quinn.
That all changed when she received a cochlear implant, a surgically implanted electronic device that enables the wearer to hear.
Four years later she has returned to her usual, happy self.
The Massey resident, her mother Yvonne Quinn and three-year-old daughter McKenzie Joyce-Quinn all suffer from hearing loss.
Yvonne is profoundly deaf while McKenzie has mild to moderate hearing loss and wears hearing aids.
Their hearing loss is progressive and worsens as they get older. The grandmother and mother are backing the Pindrop Foundation's Million Ear Challenge which aims to get 10,000 Kiwis thinking about hearing loss, which affects one in six New Zealanders.
Donna used to run a hairdressing salon and says her progressive hearing loss eventually prevented her from using the phone.
"I had to hire someone just to answer the phone. I lost my independence and my confidence went downhill."
She was on the waiting list for a cochlear implant for three years until 2007.
The 36-year-old hopes her mother Yvonne will soon be given the same opportunity.
Yvonne, 68, says it would make a huge difference to her life to be given back the gift of hearing.
"I'll be able to join a conversation," she says, something which is difficult with more than one person because she relies on lip-reading to communicate.
The women say people often don't understand the difficulties of hearing loss.
"Being deaf doesn't make you stupid," Donna says.
"But as soon as you open your mouth you can see people's attitudes change."
She wants to warn people of the dangers of loud noises and music. "The results might not show up now but they will later in life and by then it's too late."
Foundation chief executive Lee Schoushkoff says the Million Ear Challenge is about getting people to think about the gift of sound and how important it is to look after their hearing.
"The social isolation and loneliness that people experience as a result of their hearing loss is devastating."
The campaign runs until tomorrow and is an interactive competition, where participants share sounds and music while learning about hearing.
www.pindrop.org.nz.
Profound hearing loss in her late 20s led to depression and social isolation for Donna Quinn.
That all changed when she received a cochlear implant, a surgically implanted electronic device that enables the wearer to hear.
Four years later she has returned to her usual, happy self.
The Massey resident, her mother Yvonne Quinn and three-year-old daughter McKenzie Joyce-Quinn all suffer from hearing loss.
Yvonne is profoundly deaf while McKenzie has mild to moderate hearing loss and wears hearing aids.
Their hearing loss is progressive and worsens as they get older. The grandmother and mother are backing the Pindrop Foundation's Million Ear Challenge which aims to get 10,000 Kiwis thinking about hearing loss, which affects one in six New Zealanders.
Donna used to run a hairdressing salon and says her progressive hearing loss eventually prevented her from using the phone.
"I had to hire someone just to answer the phone. I lost my independence and my confidence went downhill."
She was on the waiting list for a cochlear implant for three years until 2007.
The 36-year-old hopes her mother Yvonne will soon be given the same opportunity.
Yvonne, 68, says it would make a huge difference to her life to be given back the gift of hearing.
"I'll be able to join a conversation," she says, something which is difficult with more than one person because she relies on lip-reading to communicate.
The women say people often don't understand the difficulties of hearing loss.
"Being deaf doesn't make you stupid," Donna says.
"But as soon as you open your mouth you can see people's attitudes change."
She wants to warn people of the dangers of loud noises and music. "The results might not show up now but they will later in life and by then it's too late."
Foundation chief executive Lee Schoushkoff says the Million Ear Challenge is about getting people to think about the gift of sound and how important it is to look after their hearing.
"The social isolation and loneliness that people experience as a result of their hearing loss is devastating."
The campaign runs until tomorrow and is an interactive competition, where participants share sounds and music while learning about hearing.
www.pindrop.org.nz.