Kaylee Temple was born with hearing loss, but is now discovering a new world of sound after receiving a cochlear implant at Mater Hospital Brisbane a month ago.
The 24-year-old has worn wearing bilateral hearing aids since age two due to Large Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome (LVAS).
LVAS is a congenital malformation in the inner ear, and in Miss Temple's case, resulted in bilateral moderate to profound hearing loss.
Speaking on World Cochlear Day, Miss Temple said she can now hear environmental sounds and speech.
"The most exciting sounds were when I was at the third audiology appointment," she said.
"I had to turn my hearing aid off and when I heard the audiologist talk, I understood the words! I was so shocked, that I thought I still had my hearing aid on.
"I was so surprised when I started to hear more high frequency sounds that I don't even think I heard before with hearing aids.
"In the past three weeks, I have noticed a massive change in the sounds I am hearing, to the point where it is not beeps any more. It sounds more normal, and I am starting to pick up speech again!"
Miss Temple said hearing loss has more impact on daily life than people may realise.
"Hearing loss is more than difficulty understanding speech and hearing sound, it can be an exhausting process, especially for me as I have to lipread to augment what I hear," she said.
"This takes a lot of effort and energy. It is like doing Sudoku, crosswords and scrabble all at the same time.
"Over the years there had been discussions about getting the cochlear implant, but I was not ready and was scared."
A cochlear implant is a small, electronic hearing device. It consists of an implanted stimulator/ receiver and an electrode array that stimulates the auditory nerve inside the inner ear to provide the sensation of sound.
"The Mater staff and my family made me feel so comfortable and supported," Miss Temple said.
"It is still early days, but I am so amazed with the fast improvements since the switch on appointment! Going from no hearing, to being able to understand speech again, is life-changing."
