Hear For George
Published Date: 20 Jul 2023
Our gorgeous George was born in March 2022. Never did we expect him to turn our world upside down and inside out like he did, but it was only for the better. We found out through the newborn hearing screening that George is profoundly deaf in both ears. As a family, we have no history of hearing loss and no experience of deafness – it was overwhelming and quite traumatic to start with.
In the first few months, things were intense – numerous hospital appointments, hearing tests, referrals etc. It was a lot. It all felt a bit doom and gloom. There didn’t feel like much to celebrate, and we missed our ‘newborn bubble’ stage.
When George was three months old, he received hearing aids. Although we don’t believe they gave him access to speech, he wore them like a champ and always give us a big smile when we put them in, so he must have recognised he got something positive from them.
It was around this time that I got fed up of the doom and gloom attitude. I wanted to celebrate George and every milestone as he deserved. I searched online for greeting cards and prints aimed at people with hearing loss, but I couldn’t find anything particularly relevant.
Fast forward to a whole lot more hospital appointments, an MRI scan and surgery for bilateral cochlear implants, and I was bursting with pride. George did absolutely amazing during his surgery and recovery, and I was determined to celebrate this. I searched online for a ‘Switch On Day’ card, but sadly there was nothing available.
So in early 2023, my sister Emily and I started looking into starting our own online shop with inclusive cards and prints aimed at those with hearing loss. In early March, we launched Hear For George, and the response so far has been fantastic. We’re so proud of our little shop and all it stands for. Doing something we love, for the people we love, while spreading deaf awareness.
We sell British Sign Language (BSL) fingerspelling cards for all occasions – birthdays, anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter etc – alongside our cochlear implant range of ‘Switch On Day’, ‘Happy Hearing Birthday’ and various prints.
We’re always adding more to our shop, so keep an eye out on our social media for new drops. If there’s something specific you would like, please get in touch – we’re always looking for new ideas.
My advice to any family whose little one has recently had a hearing loss diagnosis is, although it may feel overwhelming to start with, your world is about to become a whole lot brighter… so celebrate everything your loved one is!
