Lindas journey with hearing loss has been a shocking and unfortunate turn of events, as it had been a change that had come on quite suddenly for her. Linda was born with full hearing and lived a life where she thoroughly enjoyed music especially in her youth where she states she had lost track of the number of loud concerts she attended when she was younger.
Around thirty years ago, is when her way of life changed. A virus had very suddenly attacked a nerve in her right ear causing irreparable damage. At 2:30pm of that very same day, her ear had essentially switched off completely, and 20 minutes later, Vertigo had set in. As shocking as this was, Linda sought out her specialist who she was seeing at the time who gave her the bad news that the hearing loss would be permanent and unfortunately there was nothing that she could do.
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Struggling with this rapid and severe change in lifestyle for many years, it affected Linda’s confidence and outlook on life. It wasn’t until a few years ago when Linda was visiting an artist who was born deaf that she became aware of the program that Australian Lions Hearing Dogs offers. The artist whom she had visited had a Lions Hearing Dog as a companion and she was impressed. She stated that ‘The idea of having a Hearing Assistance Dog appealed to me’. It was at this point that she sent in an application and to no surprise it was successful!
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Upon the successful application, Linda was blessed with Fitzy, who she describes as priceless to her. ‘Not only does he help with “sounds” but he is wonderful company. My confidence has improved allowing me to access the community more freely.’
She describes her experience with Fitzy as a bridge towards accessing and becoming a vital member of the community again with her confidence improving greatly and her outlook on life becoming positive once more. ‘Hearing loss is an invisible disability and Fitzy’s presence allows me to comfortably address the issue with others.
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Not only does Linda appreciate the amazing work that Fitzy does for her, but she recognises how lucky she is to have a well-trained, loving and supporting pal in her life. Stating ‘I love that he is so well behaved when in uniform.  My sense of wellbeing is enhanced with Fitzy in my life.’
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Linda and Fitzy are just another example of how not only Australian Lions Hearing Dogs help our recipients physically navigate the world but also help them mentally through supporting them to navigate their own personal challenges.Â
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‘I feel very grateful for the Lions Hearing Dog program and proud to be the recipient of this four-legged bundle of happiness.’
