Hearing better than ever before
Tom was born deaf but wasn't diagnosed until he was a year old. This is his story.
mailto:mccaul.tom@gmail.comRead a transcript of a radio interview Tom did in Maryborough
"I was born and raised in London but my background covers three continents - UK, USA and Australia. I was born deaf but was not diagnosed until I was at least a year old. At that time there was no hearing test for babies so my parents had to work out whether my behaviour indicated a hearing loss or not. Initially they thought I ignored their attention because I was arrogant but then they noticed I paid a lot of attention to my older brother, John.
 | My brother, John and myself (with hearing aids) - playing in the front garden of our London home. |
 |
Awaiting Queen Mother's arrival to Dulwich College Picture Gallery London (myself, John, and my mother) |
Since I was born two months premature John and I were only 9 months apart and were always very close. My parents realized I only responded to my brother's reactions noticing I watched John and when he turned his head to any sound or command I would turn a fraction of a second later. Tests showed I had a moderate to severe hearing loss. Initially both ears had a similar hearing loss but for some reason my right ear discriminated sound better than my left. So I had to wear an ultra-large hearing aid with extra-large batteries (the size of lunch-box) on my right ear. (Of course hearing aids got smaller over the years but I was not able to wear them until I was at the University.)
My hearing aid was cumbersome but my German nanny devised an ingenious contraption allowing me to wear it regardless of the situation eg. Playing in the garden, playground or at the seaside.
I relied heavily on residual sound plus lip-reading but I had no high-frequency range, something I did not realise until I had my cochlear implant.
 | Me with my hearing aid contraption. |  |
My first classroom at the Little Abbey School (front row) |
I spent most of my childhood at Little Abbey School, an integrated deaf and hearing boarding school in the country near Newbury in England. But with my hearing loss I actually did not learn much except the importance of "independence". I moved to another private school and, with the help of my wonderful parents and two brothers (John and Colin, my younger brother, who was born five years after me), and dedicated teachers through private tuition, I eventually entered University of London.
Way back in the 1970s, there was no provision for interpreters or note-takers at University so for the next three years one of my fellow students became my unofficial note-taker. With the help of my tutors and note-takers I finally graduated with a Bachelor of Science.
B.Sc graduation Yes, (don't you just love my 1970's hairstyle!)
I took the daring step (for a deaf person) to pursue a postgraduate degree ending with a doctorate (Ph.D).
This led me to work for the National Institute of Health (USA) in Montana. [The laboratory is situated in the majestic Rocky Mountains and in the winter the peaks are bathed with a soft pink-glow leading to a wonderful burnt-orange as the sun rises above the horizon and the snow sparkles like diamonds.]
I became an electron microscopist which suited me perfectly. I worked in a very dark room for hours peering into the microscope magnifying these electrons almost one million times. There was no one else in the room. Yes, silence was indeed golden for me at that time.
When I moved back to London I worked at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical School. After this I once again moved back to the USA to Fort Detrick in Maryland, to the United States Army Medical Institute of Infectious Diseases. [The building I worked in was in the movie "Outbreak" with Dustin Hoffman - you may recall seeing the building marked USAMRIID almost five minutes into the movie. This was my office.] I worked here for three years studying dangerous germs to understand their behaviour in order to make vaccines. Another hop to a different continent found me working as a Senior Fellow in the Centre of Microscopy and Microanalysis at the University of Queensland.
But by now I wanted a career change and the opportunity to work with the Australian Communication Exchange materialised. I took on various roles from Research Manager to Customer Assurance Manager and Quality Officer. The roles involved face to face interviews with different disability groups, including the Deaf and people with hearing and speech impairment, seeking their feedback.
What led me to having a Cochlear Implant?
Up to 2004 I was able to function with a hearing aid in my right ear. I could still use the phone (although I preferred the use of the National Relay Service to handle business calls). But suddenly on 31st July 2004, after watching a foreign movie and having coffee at the Spoon, (my favourite coffee place) with my Deaf friends, I noticed my hearing rapidly deteriorating in my right ear.
In the space of one hour, it seemed I had lost all hearing.
Initially I thought it was a dead battery but after changing batteries three times I realised something was very wrong. I had hoped it was a malfunctioning hearing aid, but at home I tested this by trying my hearing aid from my left ear (which was only good for loud low frequency sound). I could hear no speech and only a few loud noises like a car revving outside. I was really worried and dismayed.
It was a bad night and for the first time I had tinnitus. A visit to my doctor for referrals to Senior Audiologist, Karen Pedley at Queensland Hearing and ENT consultant Dr Black, confirmed my fear. I had suddenly lost all my residual hearing.
The only recommendation was to consider a cochlear implant. I was dazed. It was too sudden. I immediately contacted a good friend, Sandra Keir and we talked almost the whole day about having the implant.
But as luck would have it I was scheduled to attend the Tasmanian BHA National conference to conduct feedback evaluation relating to my work. At this conference I had the opportunity to meet many people with an implant as well as people from Cochlear Ltd.
I did not hear a bad word about a Cochlear Implant at that conference. Bob Willis, of Word of Mouth, was really supportive and gave me a lot of encouragement. These people who had an implant were very important in showing me the benefits and helping me to make the decision to take the step myself.
I weighed up my options. I considered living deaf, continuing to use interpreters or Auslan, [Australian Sign Language] but I wanted to hear environmental sounds and I really missed listening Edith Piaf, Judy Garland and Doris Day, and ABBA my favourite singers.
But more importantly, my professional career was at stake. At the time of my sudden hearing loss, I was a Quality Officer and the duties included auditing which required face-to-face interaction and listening skills. 2005 was a bad year for ACE. The organisation had to restructure and some positions were made redundant. To increase my employment prospects I knew I needed the best communication skills I could get and to me this meant having a cochlear implant.
I knew the implant may not work but I had to try. I decided to go ahead and was operated on at Brisbane Private Hospital on 20th January, immediately after the Deaf Olympics, with switch-on almost three weeks later.
What was the impact of cochlear implant?
The impact was immediate. I kept a diary to record my emotional moments when I picked up new sounds. I went from "cannot hear" with hearing aids to being able to hear clearly with the Cochlear Implant. But there was more than that. Not only was I able to hear more I also had the ability to discriminate sounds in the higher frequencies.
This is what I wrote in my diary:
2nd day after switch-on:
"…new noises - shaving - what a scrapping sound. With hearing aid it was a dull sound but with the CI now that I can hear higher pitches - it sounds as if it is scratching or scrapping the skin - no wonder the skin is suffering!"
"…under arm deodorant!! What a noise that ball rolling under the armpit!"
3rd day after switch-on:
"…Air-conditioning sounds very noisy as well! I can definitely pick up clanking of the keys, food munching in my mouth (I have to learn to eat with my mouth shut and quietly), kettle boiling and also telephone ringing and this is my first time since I had that severe hearing loss. Toilet flushing is also noisy!
All of these sounds are so magical to my ears!! So wonderful to hear these sounds again!"
I was so determined to listen to songs. This is what I wrote on the 3rd day after switch-on:
"…Listened to Edith Piaf "Non je ne regrette rien" and "La Vie en Rose" - so beautiful so much more clear but still with some notes very Donald-ducky but it has brought tears to my eyes! So wonderful to hear music again!"
What was the affect of my cochlear implant?
The affect was certainly immediate to my friends. I had to attend a conference in Adelaide about two months after my implant. One of my colleagues, who travelled with me to Tasmania, also attended the Conference in Adelaide. She has a hearing impairment and was able to hear more than me at that BHA conference in Tasmania. But at that Adelaide conference I was the chatty one and she remarked saying gosh you can hear more. This is what I wrote in the diary:
"…(my colleague) noticed how less apologetic I was as I usually say 'Sorry, cannot hear!' ; 'Sorry, what did you say?'; 'Sorry, was it that that you were saying?'. Also noticed a big change in my social behaviour - more forthright and sociable - chatty and less inhibited and less stressful."
I can hear more than I ever have before.
What about my job? Well, it certainly has increased my job prospects. I am now Quality Manager for the Australian Communication Exchange. I have taken additional responsibilities and I can even carry out auditing with less stress than before.
But I was shocked to hear from my mother recently (one month ago). She tells me, although I have a distinctive English accent, I now have the hint of an Australian accent creeping into my speech since having my cochlear implant. Shocked, not because of being an Australian but for a deaf person to adopt an accent!
I realise the benefits of the cochlear implant and am always happy to explain what it has done for me. Interestingly, two of my close friends are now entering the Cochlear Implant program, not through persuasion, but just by watching how much change I have gone through since that drastic episode of sudden hearing loss.
I was even more delighted to be given the opportunity to join the CAN group as I am very keen to spread the word about cochlear implants by telling my personal story. I am delighted to join the Queensland group; Sandra who has supported me throughout the cochlear process, Alan, and Carol. I will continue to be involved in many Deaf and Hearing Impaired organisations.