Angie Aspinall bares all - and it's all in a good cause
Last week, I was in Athens, where I 'bared all', telling the story of my devastating sudden sensorineural deafness in 2011, to members of staff from Swiss-based hearing aid manufacturers, Phonak.
The Sonova group, of which Phonak is a key part, held its annual staff conference in Athens last week and I was honoured to have been the only non-staff member invited as a guest speaker.
I spoke to around 250 people about my experiences of single-sided hearing and of the life-changing difference the Phonak CROS system has made to me.
I was invited to speak to delegates to give them an insight into what it was like for me when I suffered the sudden sensorineural hearing loss, which left me profoundly deaf in one ear, and about how the CROS system gave me back my life - given that I already had significant hearing loss in the other ear. If you had told me back in 2011, when I suffered sudden deafness, that within a few years, I'd be recounting details from the worst day of my life to hundreds of people in the hearing care industry at an event in Greece, I wouldn't have believed you – but I did it!
I also shared my experiences of upgrading from the CROS (Mark I) to the new CROS II, which has some great enhancements such as an 'in car' feature, which enables me to have conversations quite comfortably, even when the windows are down.
At the event, I also handed out copies of Phonak's leaflet 'Single-sided hearing and you', which I am proud to have developed with them.
Please note: Angie Aspinall is available for copywriting, journalistic assignments, and event speaking on the topics of hearing loss and living with an acquired disability. To discuss a project or invitation to speak, please email Angie.
