Some years ago I became deaf suddenly. I had a serious accident and lost my hearing overnight. With it I lost my confidence, my independence and my zest for life. If you know someone who has hearing loss or you are deaf yourself you may know what I mean. If you have your hearing it can be difficult to imagine. 

That’s why I am asking you to support this ‘Deaf for the Day’ campaign – to raise awareness of just how different and challenging life as a deaf person can be and to help raise funds so that even more deaf people can have the gift of an amazing, life-changing hearing dog - just like me.

My road to recovery has been long and I have struggled to adapt to my new ‘silent’ life. I felt cut off from the world and was heavily dependent on my family – particularly my mum Sandra. In an effort to help me regain my confidence and adapt to my new situation my family nominated me for a hearing dog and eventually I was matched with Echo. This totally amazing, loyal, clever dog has completely transformed my life not only by alerting me to the vital sounds I can no longer hear but by building a bridge between me and people who have hearing.

Thanks to Echo I have got my life back. I have a new partner, a new home and I’ve taken up golf again - although I still struggle with balance a lot. You can help more deaf people to regain their confidence and independence by supporting this Deaf for the Day appeal. Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is trying to raise £40,000 to help match and train 10 more deaf applicants with a brilliant hearing dog like my Echo. Even £10 would make a real difference. 

I really hope you will be able to support this campaign. There are hundreds of deaf people waiting for the gift of a hearing dog – please help us transform the lives of 10 more.

Thank you for reading

Steven Taylor

Hearing dog recipient