In June 2025, Pam became a member of the SCIP whānau after receiving her cochlear implant. She shared with us how things have been going since the surgery.
“Now, three weeks post-op, I know that the easy part was indeed the surgery. The long, slow journey of learning to hear again — and better than in the past — is just beginning,” Pam shared.
Pam was born hearing and trained as a radiographer, a job that, in the 1950s, involved working around extremely loud equipment. “It was so noisy that I often lost my voice from having to shout instructions to patients two metres away — ‘Breathe in, breathe out!’”
After returning to radiography ahead of a planned overseas trip, Pam noticed something wasn’t right with her hearing. Thinking it was a minor issue, she had her hearing checked before departing on a month-long tour of South America — keen not to miss a word of the commentary. The result? She was fitted with two hearing aids, and suddenly, she could hear everything again. “Never did I think there would come a time when they could not help,” she reflects.
Those hearing aids served her well for nearly 30 years. But a routine ENT visit for an ear infection revealed further hearing deterioration. Her specialist suspected years of exposure to loud x-ray equipment may have contributed to the damage.
Pam was referred to SCIP, and as she puts it, “One door closes, and another opens.” Reflecting on her experience, she says, “My surgery — a cochlear implant — was made possible through this remarkable programme. Fear not, I tell myself. With the outstanding team at SCIP and their support, I will succeed.”
Thank you for sharing your story Pam.
Pictured: Pam with her audiologist, Mary Kerridge.