My BAHS has transformed my life in so many ways that to recount them all would take at least 10,000 words
Andrew Lawler, A Ponto 3 SuperPower user, is 18 years old and received his BAHS in 2014, at the age of 13 after living with single-sided deafness throughout his life. Andrew talks about how the treatment has impacted his life and how it has improved his confidence, in both his personal life and education. Andrew found it difficult to summarise how much the BAHS has impacted his life; “My BAHS has transformed my life in so many ways that to recount them all would take at least 10,000 words!”
Andrew likes to recall one of his first sounds when his Ponto was switched on; “I was in the audiologist’s office with my Mum and my audiologist. The first thing I heard, that I could not hear before, was the rustling of paper”. Andrew believes that these small differences have made a big impact on his confidence, with him stating these made “an undeniably positive impact on my social skills and my educational achievements.” Andrew, in his final year at secondary school, takes great pride on what he has accomplished in his education so far and is looking forward to the next stage of his life; “I have flourished at school and achieved brilliant GCSE results. These educational achievements have set me on the promising path to achieve equally brilliant A Level results and progress onto one of the top universities in the country”.
Outside of school, Andrew enjoys playing baseball for the Liverpool Trojans and socialising with his friends. Commenting on his social life, Andrew believes he is “making far more friends than I did before getting my Ponto”.
Reflecting on his own life experiences, Andrew would like to share some advice for those considering a BAHS: “I strongly urge anyone considering getting a BAHS to do so. It changes your life in so many positive ways and for me it has allowed me to realise my dreams and achieve my ambitions.”