Read our Gift of Hearing Winner Stories - Megan Furlong

Megan suffered a scary and 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 as she was no longer part of the conversation. Megan is overwhelmed by this life-changing 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.

Michael McCann

82-year-old school bus driver Michael McCann recently had his fitting in our Cavan clinic, where he received some complimentary Oticon Real hearing aids as part of Hidden Hearing’s Campaign for Better Hearing. Michael has had a difficult time of it the past few years, even though he's always doing good for others. He lost two fingers whole mowing a lawn for a friend who had cancer and has just had a hip replacement... So, it's about time that Michael's luck starts changing for the better! Michael was suffering from such severe untreated hearing loss that he hadn't quite grasped that he had won free hearing aids when he was told over the phone!Needless to say, he’s over-the-moon with his new hearing aids and can now hear properly again. 

Úna Walsh

Fourteen-year-old Úna Walsh struck a chord with millions of TV viewers when she performed ‘A Million Dreams’ from ‘The Greatest Showman’ on her harp during this year’s Late Late Toy Show. Úna and her mum Barbara attended our Wexford clinic yesterday to get the young musician fitted with some new Oticon More hearing aids by local audiologist Stephen Kelly. Oticon aids have world class hearing technology, with advanced Bluetooth device that supports how the brain naturally works. This allows wearers to experience a full and rich sound scene with complete clarity. Úna's new rechargeable aids also have a Connect Clip that she can use in her classroom in school which adds to their effectiveness and efficiency. We hope you love them Úna!

Louis Moore

20-year-old Louis Moore has suffered from hearing loss for as long as he can remember. His earliest memories of hearing loss are from primary school. He would always sit towards the front of the class and had to face his good ear to the teacher which meant that it was difficult for him to read the board. Louis grew tired of asking people to repeat themselves constantly. Louis’s mother recommended hearing aids, but Louis was terrified of the stigma associated with them. Louis is now studying medicine in college. Louis loves listening to music but removing his hearing aids to insert earphones makes losing them a real concern. Louis’s new Oticon More hearing aids have in-built Bluetooth technology which allows a seamless connection between the aids and smart devices. Plus they are so small he is not conscious anymore!

Grainne Hines

Congratulations to Gráinne Hines - a very worthy Gift of Hearing winner. Gráinne is committed to giving back to her local community and is keenly involved with her local Active Retirement Group. Gráinne’s hearing loss impacted her ability to take part in the group's Zoom calls during Lockdown and severely impacted her ability to effectively promote the work that her organisation does on local radio.  Gráinne's new state-of-the-art hearing aids will help her to get her life back on track. Oticon hearing aids contain high-spec technology that allows the user to connect their hearing aids to their smart phone, tablet, laptop or tv and sound can be streamed directly to the ear. Social settings and phone calls will be handled with ease with the Oticon's background noise reducing feature. And the best part is they’re rechargeable!  

Barry Philpott

Barry Philpott thought he was losing his mind when his hearing aids vanished from their charger overnight. It turned out that Barry had a pesky little mouse in his house who loved chewing on his hearing aid speakers! After Barry's daughter got in touch with us, we decided that Barry was a worthy Gift of Hearing recipient. Barry received a pair of our revolutionary world-leading, rechargeable, Oticon More hearing aids. The Oticon range are equipped with brain-hearing technology and have a variety of settings which enable people to focus more intently on the sounds that they want to hear by drowning out background noise. They also have many other high-tech settings, including a Bluetooth setting that connect straight to your phone. Hearing aids no longer require batteries and they are so small that you can hardly see them.

Paddy Conaghan

Paddy Conaghan took on a remarkable challenge last December by taking a dip and a dive in every beach in Ireland in aid of mental health service - Gemma's Legacy of Hope. While the Arranmore Island native was rising to the challenge and raising funds for this worthy cause, he lost his hearing aids! Hidden Hearing's Galway branch came to the rescue, thanks to their Clinic Coordinator Aoife. Paddy was given the Gift of Hearing just in time for Christmas!

Patrick Lardner

We are delighted to give Patrick Lardner the #GiftOfHearing. Patrick J. Lardner is a hardworking, selfless dad, who has always put his family first. Having struggled with hearing loss for more than 20 years, he prioritised his children's needs above his own. In retirement, he lives a simple life, devoid of the comforts and trappings of wealth and the luxury of sound. When Patrick's daughter Sinead asked us to consider her amazing dad for the #GiftOfHearing, we were delighted to oblige. It is our absolute pleasure to gift Patrick state-of-the-art hearing aids in recognition of the many sacrifices he's made in life. He is a true hero to his children, and we hope these new hearing aids will help him hear their heartfelt voices of appreciation. We wish Patrick and his family health and happiness and would like to thank Sinead for sharing her dad's story with us.

Joan Stundon

Meet Joan Stundon, one of our #Giveback recipients! At 62 years of age, Joan has experienced more suffering than most. She lost her sense of smell and hearing following a brain bleed, necessitating a 7-day stay in a hospital ICU. She’s battled cancer twice and won, and chronic osteoporosis affects her bone strength and stability. Despite these challenges, Joan cares for her husband (who has a disability), her brother (who is wheelchair-bound), and her 5 year old grandchild. Faced with hardship, many of us turn to alcohol, tobacco, chocolate and other vices for consolation – but not Joan. She’s made significant lifestyle changes for improved health to ensure she can continue to care for her family. She’s quit her 40-a-day smoking habit and lost an incredible 5 stone. Joan misses the everyday sounds that we take for granted and can’t afford to buy hearing aids. When her son Jeffrey told us about his mum and asked for our help, we felt compelled to oblige. It’s a pleasure to give the #GiftOfHearing to this remarkable lady, who spends her life caring for others.