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Harry
Joanne
Milne from Gateshead was born with the rare condition Usher Syndrome,
which left her deaf from birth. The 40-year-old also lost her vision to
the condition in her 20s. The 40-year-old also lost her vision to the
condition in her 20s. Last month Ms Milne underwent a life-changing
operation to have cochlear implants fitted. She faced an anxious
month-long wait to see if the operation had been a success. As her
doctor recited the days of the week to her, the 40-year-old is visibly
overwhelmed, fighting back the tears and gasping for breath. She said:
'Wow, it is amazing,' as she listened to her voice and the voices of her
doctor and friend for the first time. She said the switch on was the
'most emotional and overwhelming' experience of her life.
They are seven simple words we all take for granted.
But
as Joanne Milne heard her doctor recite the days of the week, she was
overwhelmed with emotion, fighting back tears and gasping to catch her
breath.
Until that moment the 40-year-old's world had been silent.
Born
with the rare condition Usher Syndrome, Ms Milne has been deaf since
birth and in her mid-20s the condition claimed her sight.
Scroll down for video
Overwhelming:
These pictures show the moment Joanne Milne's cochlear implants were
switched on, allowing her to hear for the first time
Lifetime
of silence: Ms Milne was born with Usher Syndrome, leaving her deaf
since birth. Last month the 40-year-old underwent an operation to have
cochlear implants fitted (pictured)
But last month Ms Milne underwent a life-changing operation to fit cochlear implants.
Following
the procedure, she faced a four-week wait for medics to switch on the
implants to see if the operation had been a success.
Hearing
for first time, a video capturing the switch-on shows Ms Milne breaking
down as she tells her doctor her own voice sounds 'very, very strange',
before adding: 'Wow, it is absolutely amazing.'
The doctor tells the 40-year-old, from Gateshead: 'It is a big, big, life-changing day.
'It is such a huge thing you have just achieved, you should be really proud of yourself.'
Ms Milne said the switch-on has been the 'most emotional and overwhelming experience' of her life.
She said: 'I’m still in shock now. I have to learn to recognise what these sounds are as I build a sound library in my brain.
'Hearing things for the first time is so emotional from the ping of a light switch to running water.
Emotional:
The 40-year-old burst into tears as her doctor recited the days of the
week, and urged her to listen to her own voice for the first time
Inspiring:
Ms Milne, who has helped others suffering Usher Syndrome through her
work with the charity Sense, also lost her sight to the condition in her
mid-20s
'I can’t stop crying and I can already foresee how it’s going to be life changing.'
'I’m
so happy. Over the last 48 hours hearing someone laughing behind me,
the birds twittering and just being with friends... they didn’t have to
tap my arm to get my attention which a massive leap.'
Since she was diagnosed as deaf, Ms Milne has made it her mission to mentor others living with Usher Syndrome.
'Hearing things for the first time is so emotional from the ping of a light switch to running water. I can’t stop crying and I can already foresee how it’s going to be life changing'
- Joanne Milne on hearing for the first time
She
added: 'Being deaf was just who I was. Unfortunately when I became
registered blind things changed dramatically and for the first time
being deaf became increasingly difficult.'
The
breathtaking moment Ms Milne's implants were switched on was captured
on video and shared by Ms Milne's friend Tremayne Crossley.
Moved by her courage Mr Crossley applied for Ms Milne to appear on DJ Lauren Laverne's BBC 6music radio feature Memory Tape.
His application said: 'Jo
has recently had a bilateral cochlear implant in an attempt to restore
her hearing, this is being gradually switched on over five sessions.
Amazing:
Ms Milne told her doctor: 'Wow, it is absolutely amazing'. Days later
her friend Tremayne Crossley arranged for her to appear on DJ Lauren
Laverne's BBC radio show to listen to music for the first time
Life-changing: Ms Milne said the switch-on was the 'most emotional and overwhelming' experience of her life
New
world: The 40-year-old (pictured as a child) said not having to be
tapped on the shoulder every time someone wanted her attention was a
huge change
A GENETIC CONDITION AFFECTING HEARING, VISION AND BALANCE
Usher Syndrome is a genetic or inherited condition, which affects a person's hearing, vision and balance.
People living with the condition can achieve a huge amount, with the right support.
Sight
and hearing loss will mean sufferers have to change the way the
communicate, access informtaion and explore the world around them.
THe sight loss is caused by an eye condition known as retinitis pigmentosa, and leads to a gradual reduction in vision.
The hearing loss is sensori-neural deafness - a problem with the inner ear or the auditory nerve.
A person diagnosed with Usher Syndrome will usually suffering hearing loss from birth.
Some
types of the syndrome can affect the development of the organs in the
inner ear, which are responsible for balance and a sense of space.
To find out more visit www.sense.org.uk
'The volume has to be increased slowly to allow the brain to adjust to the new information coming from the ears.
'Jo told me about a guy who went grey over a one month period due to the shock of hearing how noisy the world actually is.
'It
was with this in mind that Jo asked me to put a playlist of songs
together, songs that I thought she needed to hear or that would form an
'Introduction To Music' playlist.
'I
said it would be an absolute privilege but when I sat down to start I
realised how monumentally difficult it would be, and what a
responsibility.'
Mr
Crossley chose a song from each year of Ms Milne's life treating her to
Paul McCartney's Silly Love Songs, Kate Bush Running Up That Hill (A
Deal With God), Prince's When Dove's Cry, Tracy Chapman Fast Car, Maps
by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Radiohead's Jigsaw Falling Into Place.
Taking to Twitter yesterday Miss Laverne told her 300,000 followers how Ms Milne's story had moved her crew to tears.
She
tweeted: 'Just watched a video of today's #MemoryTape recipient having
her cochlear implant turned on and hearing for the first time. Studio in
floods.'
Hearing
the moving feature, writer Caitlin Moran tweeted: '@NadiaShireen
@BBC6MorningShow @laurenlaverne You might as well call this the 'Crying
Uncontrollably At The Amazingness of Life' Tape.'
Listener
Ingrid Bronsgeest said: 'You do bring some magic to peoples lives
@BBC6Music that #MemoryTape story is amazing. Sooo emotional but happy
tears too.x'
LIFE-CHANGING IMPLANTS THAT CAN OPEN UP A NEW WORLD FOR THE DEAF
A
cochlear implant is a small electronic device that can help provide a
sense of sound to a person who is deaf or severely hard of hearing.
An external portion of the implants sits behind the ear, while a second part is surgically placed under the skin.
The
implants cannot restore normal hearing but they can give a deaf person a
good representation of sounds, helping them understand speech.
Surgery:
The small electronic device consists of two parts, the external section
sits behind the ear while a second part is surgically fitted under the
skin
Whereas
hearing aids amplify sound so they can be detected by damaged ears,
cochlear implants bypass damaged parts of the ear and directly stimulate
the auditory nerve.
Signals generated by the implant are sent via the auditory nerve to the brain, which recognises the signals as sound.
Hearing through an implant is different from normal hearing and takes time to get used to it.
It allows people to recognise warning signals, understand their environment and enjoy conversations with people.
According
to the Food and Drug Administration, as of December 2012, around
324,200 people worldwide have been fitted with implants.
In the UK The Ear Foundation estimates about 10,000 people have cochlear implants and the number is growing every year.
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