CLIENT STORIES: Written Stories
Our vision at The Hearing House is to foster a sense of community where everyone is welcome.
People are at the heart of everything we do and we co-design our services with kiritaki and whānau
to ensure we understand and meet their needs.
Here are stories of our kiritaki whose lives we've been privileged to help change.
Richard's story
Richard Green’s life changed forever when he was hit by a car on Auckland’s College Hill four years ago.
After being rushed to hospital with multiple injuries, he told the trauma surgeon that his hearing seemed ‘weird’ and found out later that he had lost the hearing in his left ear.
“The journey back from my accident has been hard,” he says.
Karen's story
Karen had her first cochlear implant when she was a young mum, and her second four years later.
She received an upgraded processor three years ago following an accident, and a further upgrade a few months ago.
She can now stream sound straight from her phone into her ears which has helped her rediscover her love of music.
Elijah's story
When Elijah Ririnui was two years old, his grandmother Helene said he loved anything that vibrated.
Lawnmowers, vacuum cleaners, food mixers, power tools, washing machines – all provoked a spontaneous reaction of pure delight.
But they weren’t words or squeals of delight -- Elijah had barely made a sound since birth.
It wasn’t until the Ririnui whānau was out boating one day and a passing Jetski got the attention of everyone apart from Elijah, that Helene knew that something wasn’t right.
A visit to a specialist confirmed that Elijah was profoundly deaf, caused by congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) contracted from his mother during pregnancy.
Annette's story
Seventy-three-year-old retired nurse Annette Herbert had her cochlear implant fitted two years ago when tests showed that her hearing had deteriorated to a point that hearing aids were no longer effective.
The Auckland-based grandmother says being able to have phone conversations with her family has been life-changing, and she keeps busy with exercise class, gardening and watching her nine-year-old grand-daughter’s ballet class.