Phonak “hEARo” Elspeth Bowes’ bilateral moderate-to-severe hearing loss wasn’t discovered until she was 12. Prior to that, she constantly missed elements of family conversations and was forever being told to turn down the TV. At age seven, she was offered grommets (tubes) in case of glue ear, which didn’t help. When she was finally taken to an audiologist at age 12, her life began to change for the better.
HearingLikeMe caught up with Ellie, who is a new addition to our Phonak “hEARos” program. She shared a little about herself and her experiences.
Interview with Phonak “hEARo” Elspeth Bowes
HLM: What was your childhood like?
Ellie : I had an extremely happy childhood. I grew up in a lovely house in Kent with two sisters and both parents. Of course we argue like any normal family, but for the most part we all get on well. Although I’ve had a hearing deficit my whole life, my parents and I were repeatedly told by my doctors and teachers that there wasn’t a problem and that I was just a “late developer.” I thought I would eventually grow out of it, whatever “it” was that made me feel rather disconnected from the world.
HLM: How did you do in school?
Ellie: At school, I was constantly falling behind and not achieving the same results as my classmates. I went to private school from age five to 16 with my hearing problem only being diagnosed when I was 12. I was never the smartest and was always in trouble for not doing my homework
To read the rest of this interview go to Hearing Like Me
