Josie Calcott

I lost my hearing when I was about two years old due to chickenpox. A hearing test revealed my hearing loss was severe to profound. I wore hearing aids from about the age of 3 years old and I learned to cope with my brilliant lip-reading skills as I was 100% dependant on it.

In my late 30s, a marriage, a nursing degree and three children later, I was beginning to really believe what a cochlear implant might do for me as, over the years my hearing had declined and I was struggling to cope on a day to day basis.

I finally found the courage to go ahead with receiving a cochlear implant three and a half years ago and this changed my life in many ways. I have found myself becoming more outgoing and sociable, more confident in myself and less frustrated. What I love hearing the most are probably birds. But having said that I also love that I can hear voices from a distance, or from another room. That…. is ….wicked!

I never realised what the quality of sound was. It’s beautiful, it’s crisp and clear and the weirdest, biggest thing for me is that I can often hear what is said without looking at people’s mouths. WOW!

I can now enjoy being part of the running club, and being able to have conversations with my running buddies!