Skye Bateup, a midwife from Chatteris in Cambridgeshire, has suffered from hearing loss since she was 14. Her hearing loss was affecting her family life, relationships with friends and her job.
But after Skye visited Hidden Hearing audiologist Adam Smith, she was nominated for the Give Back Programme. For every 1,000 free hearing tests we carry out, we gift a pair of state-of-the-art hearing aids, free of charge, to someone who might not be able to afford them otherwise.
We caught up with Skye to see how she’s adjusting to her new hearing aids.
What are you looking forward to this Christmas with your new hearing aids?
“I’m really looking forward to having my entire family at my house for Christmas. This is usually a very overwhelming and loud experience. However, with my hearing aids, I’ll be able to cope much better and be part of conversations.
“I’m also looking forward to being able to go to a Christmas fair. Usually, these are too loud for me to be able to have fun as I cannot talk easily with those around me. But with my new hearing aids, this year I’m confident that I’ll be able to hear my friends and have more fun!
“I have also booked tickets to see a couple of live shows over the Christmas period – it’ll be nice to be able to cope with the volume and to be immersed in the experience.”
How have your new hearing aids changed your life?
“I can confidently carry out my job now. I’m not worrying that I’ve misheard information.
“As a midwife, I was struggling in high-risk emergencies with my hearing loss and found those situations both dangerous and stressful.
“Family gatherings are also far more enjoyable now that I can hear everyone in the conversation.
“Hearing aids have really improved my confidence as I now feel I’m not going to embarrass myself when I can’t hear someone.”
What does being a recipient of the Give Back Programme mean to you?
“I feel very privileged and lucky to have been a recipient of the Give Back Programme. To have hearing loss at such a young age is very hard to wrap my head around, but to have my hearing restored with high-tech hearing aids is an amazing feeling!”
Find out more about the Give Back Programme
You can nominate yourself, or someone you care about, for the Give Back Programme at your free hearing test. Just follow the link below to book.
In the meantime, to get a general idea of how well you can hear, you can take our free, five-minute online hearing test.
