Just hours after his cochlear implant was switched on for the first time, Murray Beck celebrated by going to the supermarket to get a bottle of milk – by himself. This simple, routine chore was a significant milestone for Murray, who is profoundly deaf. It was the first time in years that he had been able to venture out on his own without family members to communicate on his behalf. His wife Julie was “gobsmacked”.
“I thought he was joking when he said he was off to get some milk,” says Julie. “He hasn’t left the house without me or another family member for years. It was just too hard as he couldn’t hear or talk to people.”
Murray received his cochlear implant in December 2020. Since then, he says, his life has changed dramatically. “It’s nothing short of a miracle. Things just keep getting better and better. “I can hear my grandchildren, which is magic. I can talk to people now and have conversations with friends that I haven’t had in years. “I’ve got my life back,” Murray says. After his hearing began to decline in his late 30s, Murray eventually became profoundly deaf –forcing him to leave his job and lead an isolated life in rural Taranaki.
Murray Beck
Until five years ago Murray had a successful career in the oil and gas industry, managing up to 50 staff and millions of dollars’ worth of technical equipment. His 32-year career ended when the daily conference calls and general communication with others became impossible. Murray’s hearing loss also impacted his family life. Julie says it was heart-breaking for Murray not being able to hear his three grandchildren, and socialising with friends stopped. Murray spent his time at the family dairy farm “talking to the cows”. “He went from someone who sang and whistled all the time to a man who was silent,” says Julie. “Every year he got a little less engaged and started to lose his vocabulary as he couldn’t hear himself either.”
In 2018 Murray was assessed by the Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) and put on the waiting list for a cochlear implant. But the reality was that the waiting list at the time was so long it was unlikely his name would ever come up.
The couple made the decision to fund $50,000 themselves for Murray’s cochlear implant surgery. “Before the implant my family had to do all the phone work for the farm and go into town for me to pick up supplies and equipment,” says Murray. “I never really left the property by myself. My social circle consisted of Julie, my son, and my daughter.
“That has all changed. I can now take care of the business side of the farm and I’m happy to go out and talk with people again. It’s marvellous.” For Julie, the cochlear implant has given her back her husband. “I’ve got my old Murray back. He is cheeky again – that disappeared with his hearing loss. He has always been a pretty happy man, but he is beaming now.”
Murray and Julie Beck