Mary's story

I feel connected again

Mary Lambell, a patient at MQ Health’s Speech and Hearing Clinic, has lived with hearing loss since she was five. Early on, she was fitted with hearing aids but says they were just like listening to a badly tuned radio, so she eventually went without them, managing her environment instead.

However, just over 10 years ago, in her mid-50s, Mary noticed her hearing was getting worse. Then, following an infection, her hearing deteriorated further. She decided to get assessed at Macquarie University Hearing and was fitted with a hearing aid in one ear, and later, a cochlear implant in the other. ‘It has been brilliant,’ she says.

‘I’m going out again, going to the theatre more often, eating out – it’s easier to hear the television, and I’m having conversations more easily. I feel connected again.’

That’s the transformative power of improving hearing health, and why MU Hearing is committed to research and education that will provide innovative solutions, benefiting millions of people living with hearing loss in Australia and worldwide.

As Mary says, ‘The clinic has enabled me to hear to the best of my ability by using the correct technology. With sensitive counselling from my audiologist, the equipment has given me incredible connectivity to the world around me, at home and socially. I’m no longer isolated from my community.’

Because, more than just a sensory deficit, hearing is fundamental to who we are, how we engage with the world, and how we connect with others. And, hearing health affects us all – whether you’re concerned about a grandchild, your partner or yourself, advancing hearing health improves the lives of all of us and our connection to each other.