SANDRA PIERCE

Meet Sandra Pierce, an inspiring women who refused to let losing her hearing control her life.

 

How old were you when you lost your hearing?

 

I was in my 30’s when I first found out about my hearing loss, and I refused to accept what was happening to me, I went to see two further specialists before I accepted it. It totally knocked the wind out of my sails  The specialists diagnosed me with Cookie Bite hearing loss, meaning hearing at low or high frequencies are fine but middle range sounds are lost, explaining why I could only hear parts of conversations. 

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When did you first notice a difference in your hearing?

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I went to retrain with the hope of being a teacher and did a course at the local college. It was here I realised straight away that I could not hear what the tutor was saying when he turned towards the blackboard or when any of the students spoke with their backs to me. All I could make out was muffled voices from the students. My anxiety levels went through the roof.. So it convinced me to go see my GP, I was given several hearing aids over the years, none of which resolved my hearing issues, leading me to abort my dreams of becoming a teacher.

 

From here on I gradually lost my confidence and would talk myself  out of invites to the point where my life was just about coping and putting on a brave face. 

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What changed your mindset?

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After years of trying hearing aids unsuccessfully I finally found one which worked and even connected to my phone through bluetooth. 

 

Within 10 minutes of having these new hearing aids fitted, I was desperate to try them out and went straight to a local coffee shop. I was absolutely thrilled, I knew instantly they were far more superior, not only was the noisy coffee shop more doable, but the bluetooth factor was a game changer.

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I no longer live in fear of the phone ringing. The past two years my confidence has returned and I now coach 32 ladies through my Tropic Beauty business. That is something I could never have done before. I can do all the things a normal person takes for granted. 
 

Why do you want to share your story?

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I want to help others going through something similar and squash taboos around hearing tests. I want others not to wait as long as I did to have my hearing issues resolved effectively. Even if I just inspire one person who struggles with their hearing loss and inspire them to seek help when they think there is no hope then I would of succedded. After all this is normal and can happen to anyone at anytime, it is nothing to be ashamed of.