Sudden Hearing Loss Support Is 5 Years Old!

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Written By Carly Ann Sygrove

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the day I launched the Sudden Hearing Loss Support website, the only website dedicated to this little-understood and often life-changing condition. 

So, why did I create this website in the first place?...

…My story begins on a very normal day. It was 29th August 2016, I was 34. I was sitting in an auditorium listening to a guest speaker giving a presentation at the school where I was working as a teacher.

I lifted my head up from writing some notes and suddenly, my head and ears filled with pressure, and there was a loud screeching sound. I started to feel disoriented, and everything was spinning around me. This is how I lost the hearing in my left ear. I had no known illness, and I wasn't feeling ill at the time. The world to the left of me just fell into silence. 

At the time of my hearing loss, I was living and teaching in Spain. Away from my family, support was limited and difficult to access in a language I was still in the early stages of learning. I was also trying to navigate a healthcare system I was unfamiliar with. I needed to tell my story. I wanted to raise awareness of sudden hearing loss as a condition and the everyday challenges of living with hearing loss. 

My Hearing Loss Story blog homepage

My Hearing Loss Story blog homepage

In December 2016, I started my blog, My Hearing Loss Story, as a way of sharing my story with others. I wrote down all the thoughts that I’d been storing and revisiting in my head about the day it happened, the treatments I received and all the feelings that went along with this. After publishing each blog post, I felt a little lighter, and my mind felt less busy. It was cathartic writing my story, and writing became my therapy. 

Shortly after I’d published a few blogs, emails began landing in my inbox from people going through a similar experience to me. They were looking for support following a sudden hearing loss, and how to manage associated issues such as tinnitus and anxiety. I took comfort in being able to help people through their difficulties. I listened to every story with empathy and offered as much support as I knew how to.

I kept on hearing from people and receiving numerous messages and emails looking for connection. I answered all these messages, but felt that there would be so much more support if I could somehow connect everyone in one space. One day, while on a walk with my partner, I came up with the idea of connecting all these people in a space where they could share their stories, ask questions, and offer support to each other. In December 2019, I created the My Hearing Loss Story Facebook support group and soon realised there is so much value in sharing experiences and connecting with others. 

Through reading the experiences of others in the group, I also realised there was a lack of awareness and comprehensive information about sudden hearing loss, not to mention very little support. People were seeking medical attention outside of the optimal treatment window, and some were being misdiagnosed, both of which I had experienced myself. So, I decided to do something about it. 

In January 2021, I crowdfunded to raise money to fund the creation of a website, and I set to work. I connected with various hearing loss and tinnitus organisations, audiologists (huge shout out to Clinical Research Audiologist, Roulla Katiri), and hearing aid manufacturers and providers to support me in the creation of informative articles and supportive resources that encompass the whole sudden hearing loss experience. I also bumbled my way through creating a website, which was fun! 

Sudden Hearing Loss Support homepage

Sudden Hearing Loss Support homepage

And so, after many months of work and revisions, the Sudden Hearing Loss Support website was born!

This website is packed full of information and resources. On the first page, there are informative articles answering some of the immediate questions that come with Sudden Hearing Loss, such as “What Is It?”, “How Is It Diagnosed?”, and “What if Your Hearing Does Not Recover?” There is also a visual checklist detailing what to do if you notice a sudden change in your hearing. Exploring the tabs at the top of the webpage, you’ll find a blog which includes personal stories from the hearing loss community and also posts on hearing technology. There is a link to my Sudden Hearing Loss book (published by Johns Hopkins Press in 2025) and my Facebook support group, along with helpful charities, a library of articles on the topic and information on current research projects in the world of hearing restoration and sudden hearing loss.

If you’re an audiologist or someone who works with ears, you may find the printable resources section (Information > Printable resources), where you’ll find an awareness poster you can display in your clinic waiting area, checklists, and other helpful resources for patients, too. 

I am proud of this website. More people are now finding it, and I regularly hear from people who have found it supportive. In creating this website, I wanted people to be able to have an exhaustive resource to help them and their loved ones feel supported in their experience. I think I’ve done that.

This website is completely funded by sponsorship (huge thanks to GN Resound and Danalogic), donations, and personal funding. 

If you would like to help keep the website up and running by offering a donation or sponsorship, please get in touch. And, if you have an article to contribute to the blog section, let me know! 

Links to sudden hearing loss resources:

Carly Ann Sygrove
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Protecting Young Ears on World Hearing Day