Deaf audiologist from Fareham will receive life-changing surgery so she can hear her baby daughter for the first time this Christmas

Louise Bowdery, who works in the Boots Hearingcare in Fareham town centre, has suffered from hearing loss since she was a child – but her condition took a dramatic turn for the worse when she suddenly went deaf in her right ear in 2013 and then in her left ear in 2019.

Now the 35-year-old will finally be able to hear once again thanks to a cochlear implant procedure just three days before Christmas – allowing her to hear her nine-month old baby, Scarlette, speak for the very first time

The mum-of-two, who had her first child Avril ten years ago, said: ‘I am hoping - rather dramatic - that a cochlear implant will give me back my life.

‘I can no longer attend social events as I can’t hear or understand what people are saying. I have no clarity or definition of speech. I hear sounds but can’t decipher them. I am currently relying on lip-reading more than hearing.

‘I’m really looking forward to being able to hear my nine-month-old baby talking. I’m also looking forward to being able to hear the lyrics in music for the first time in my life and just to be aware of the sounds around me, to understand what is said without having to be told several times and still not getting it.

‘I would also love to be able to have a conversation on the phone with my mum as I can no longer hold a phone conversation, she lives in Northern Ireland so I don’t get to see her very much.’

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The central Fareham resident said her own experiences with audiologists as she grew up inspired her to follow in their footsteps and go on to work with people suffering from deafness across her home town.

Louise said: ‘One of the main reasons I chose to be an audiologist was because all through growing up my audiologists were fantastic. I cannot fault them at all but there always came a point where I felt they didn’t really get or understand what it was like to be deaf.

‘I thought, perhaps, with my own experience of living with hearing loss, that there might be something I could offer and also have the empathy that others may not.

‘Many of my patients have told me they would only see me as they feel I’m the only person that has actually understood what it’s like for them to have hearing loss. They have felt that some of the advice or experiences I have had resonates with them.’

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Louise added that she is still aware of ‘stigma’ around hearing loss and ignorance around the issue – even though 11 million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing, and there are 151,000 British Sign Language users across the nation.

The 35-year-old added: ‘People have a misconstrued view that if you are deaf they need to shout and you will hear them. It’s a bit more complex than that.

‘It’s also a completely hidden disability and sometimes people can think you are being rude or ignoring them if you don’t hear them. There still is, very much, a stigma around hearing loss and people especially the older generation find it difficult to accept if they are hearing impaired.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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