Hearing Awareness Social Profile | Mandy on World Hearing Day 2023
Our story is what makes us unique.
Just like our overall health is important, our hearing health can be the difference between a lively, active day or a complicated one.
Amanda (Mandy)’s story begins in small town called Llangollen, North Wales in the UK. Its riverside location forms the edge of the Berwyn range, so you could say she has been surrounded by water her entire life as Amanda now lives in Adelaide and runs a successful Pilates and wellbeing centre.
She is one of 3 girls and a younger brother. At age 5, after numerous painful ear infections and courses of antibiotics administered after trips to the local Doctor, it was finally diagnosed she had a perforated left ear drum. Of course, her parents were mortified they hadn’t realised the aversion to having water anywhere near her ear at bath time, or the fear of swimming, was essentially due to the pain it caused their young daughter.
Mandy managed to live with her perforated ear and carried on with her life, however shares, “hearing loss became more apparent with age, so at 50 years, I decided it was time to have the perforation repaired. I was living in Adelaide by this time. My consultant Doctor said I was the first in South Australia to receive a lab grown ‘pigs matrix’. The treatment was very new and has really made a difference to me. I only wish I had been able to do this when I was younger.”
It was and still is a successful operation with Mandy’s hearing instantly being improved, which subsequent hearing tests have continued to confirm.
That said, Mandy shares, “I always swam with my head out of the water to prevent water entering the canal and a finger in my ear in the shower!” (after the operation) “It made it possible for me to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, and for the first time ever, achieve one of my life ambitions of putting my head under water. I was extremely hesitant to go under at first, however using my pilates breathing (highly recommended) and my logical mind, when I did finally put my head under, I felt no pain or discomfort, only pleasure viewing the beautiful corals. I also felt a sense of achievement in conquering my fear of water which all stemmed from my early age experiences.”
Mandy’s hope is that her quality of hearing remains.
“My plan is to continue going for regular hearing assessments to confirm my hearing health and wellbeing. It is important to me.”
Mandy encourages everyone to consider their hearing health.
Do you know someone who needs a hearing assessment? Refer them to Can:Do Hearing during our Hearing Awareness Week promotion and you'll reap the rewards!
This editorial is part of our Hearing Awareness Campaign. Read more here
