Five years ago my gorgeous niece Heather was born into a silent world. As profoundly deaf, she didn't have the joy of hearing birdsong, beautiful music or the sound of people's chatter. Blissfully unaware that her world was different from ours, it was her parents (my sister Viv and her husband Craig) that had to deal with the initial bombshell.
When she was a year and a half, they took the massive decision for Heather to have bilateral cochlear implants. She was the first child in Jersey to have them. Eight hours of intensive head surgery later, she came out of theatre. Although she couldn't 'hear' straight away - that came later when she had healed and they were able to 'switch her on' with hearing aids to complete the new hearing process - they had given her the choice of hearing. Today, she has been given a phenomenal 85% 'fake' hearing.
But everything was far from over at this point - this was merely the start of a new journey. Slowly and surely, Viv, Craig, Heather and her new baby sister Martha have had to grow together - through good times and bad as Heather has slowly learned to integrate into school and build her confidence, one building block at a time. This is a painfully slow process and means that every day, the things I take for granted that my two boys can do - sports, reading, taking part in group activities - are all hurdles that Heather is still learning to overcome.
The day she broke down and realised she was wearing 'noisies' (her name for her hearing aids) and no other child in her class was nearly broke our hearts. She finally realised she was different and her confidence was battered.
Recently, Heather and her family were invited to take part in a weekend away for families and children with cochlear implants. Co-ordinated by The Ear Foundation, they came face to face for the first time with many other children just like Heather. For the first time in her five years, she really felt like she belonged and her confidence shot through the roof. A very emotional weekend for all, but one that gave them immense encouragement and a much needed shot in the arm.
The Ear Foundation (see www.earfoundation.org.uk for more info) is a unique charity providing support for children across the UK with cochlear implants and hearing aids - through information, community education, resources and research & development. In the UK around 800 children per year are born profoundly deaf and a number of others become deaf through accident or illness. The fitting of technology - be it a hearing aid or cochlear implant may help but this is only the start. The Ear Foundation provides education and support for all those children living with hearing aids or implants to ensure they can join fully into family and school life.
The Ear Foundation receives no statutory support and relies greatly on donations and grants.
Seeing first hand the impact the work they do has had on Heather and her family, I didn't think twice about making them my chosen charity for my 40th birthday challenge.
So, finally, here's the rub. It's my big birthday on 17th June and I've decided to run the Asics London 10k in July to mark the occasion and do something worthwhile. This isn't a decision I've taken lightly. My body was not built to run, has spent 40 years balking at the idea and resisting any thought of going faster than walking pace. Since 1st January I've been training slowly and am currently able to run (just about) 5k without stopping. By July I hope to have finally found the will to make the 10k.
I would love to raise £2,000 for the Ear Foundation to contribute to the incredible work they do. This means 50 of you sponsoring me £40 would be brilliant, but to be honest every pound will help me reach my goal so whatever you can contribute will be gratefully received.
I hope you agree, this is a superb cause. It really does make such a big difference to so many little people who are battling through the brave new world of hearing.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Please dig deep and donate now. Those of you who would have bought me a pressie, I'd be delighted if you would donate to this instead to help me reach my goal.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this.
Sam x
