Meet 30-year-old Megan Furlong, our most recent Gift of Hearing recipient.
Megan suffered a scary sudden onset of hearing loss during the Pandemic, which was caused by trauma to her ears.
Megan's whole life changed in an instant when she could no longer hear the world around her. Her days became quiet and insular. She would regularly have to ask people to repeat themselves or would ignore them completely to spare the embarrassment. She had to watch her favourite television shows with the subtitles on as she needed the TV to be at a much louder volume than everyone else.
Working in the service industry over Covid was particularly difficult for Megan. Masks and Perspex glass created additional barriers to sound, with face coverings making it increasingly difficult to lip read.
Megan had her hearing tested but couldn't afford to buy hearing aids that were recommended for her level of hearing loss. When her two sisters, Leah and Sinead, saw that Hidden Hearing's Gift of Hearing nominations were open, they immediately put Megan forward.
Each year Hidden Hearing gives away five sets of complimentary, state-of-the-art hearing aids to those who need them most as part of our Campaign for Better Hearing Giveback Program. To date, 600 sets of hearing aids have been given free of charge to help as many people as possible to experience life-changing hearing care.
Megan is overwhelmed by this gift from Hidden Hearing and is already noticing a difference to her quality of life. She is currently completing a Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy and thinks that her new aids will be especially useful in her future career, one which is essentially based on listening. This trendy hearing aid wearer also loved the fact that Oticon's newest BTE Real aids come in 9 cool colour choices – every fashionista’s dream.
Megan described the new level of sound that she was experiencing as 'wild'. Hopefully her days of hearing difficulties are behind her now that she has had her surgeries and been fitted with her Oticon Real 1s. We look forward to seeing what she goes on to achieve now that she has no limitations with her hearing!
If you or someone you love is struggling with their hearing, why not book a complimentary consultation in one of over 80 clinics nationwide? When it comes to your hearing, we're all ears!
