World Book Day and the Story Behind Our Sudden Hearing Loss Book

This World Book Day, I’m going to tell you the story of how I ended up writing a book with 2 people I have never actually met.

Once upon a time, well, almost 10 years ago to be more precise, I was working as a teacher in Spain’s capital, Madrid. It was a teacher training day, and a guest speaker was giving a presentation. As I raised my head from writing some notes, my head filled with pressure and a loud screeching sound. The room started to spin around me. I didn’t realise in that moment, but this was when I lost all the hearing in my left ear to something I’d never even heard of: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss.

Around 6 months later, across the ocean, Andrea Simonson, a Boston-based clinical audiologist, received a phone call from her husband, who was having lunch with a colleague. He told her that something strange had happened to his hearing. During their meal, he started noticing a rushing noise along with a muffled sensation in his left ear. Two hours later, he couldn’t even hear a phone’s dial tone.

Three and a half years later, Caroline Norman, a counsellor and psychotherapist based in the UK, woke up one morning and her left ear seemed blocked. As she sat up, she had vertigo and noticed ringing in her ear. Her ENT would later tell her that her hearing loss was permanent, the cause unknown.

We all struggled with the emotional impact of sudden hearing loss.

Even as a therapist, Caroline really struggled to understand what she was going through.

As an audiologist, Andrea felt a sense of responsibility and helplessness because she could not make things better for her husband.

And I struggled with a loss of confidence, my identity, and I grieved my lost sound.

We all had so many questions and realised there was a gap in the literature for people going through this little-understood condition.

In the years that followed, I became passionate about raising awareness of the hearing loss experience and providing information and support around sudden hearing loss. I shared my experience on my blog, and went on to found the Sudden Hearing Loss Support website along with a Facebook support group. Both Andrea and Caroline joined the group. Andrea also shared her husband’s story in a blog post for the site, and Caroline and I began connecting on Messenger.

One day, Andrea got in touch with the idea to write a book of personal stories from people who have experienced SSNHL, to provide hope for those earlier in their journey.

Around the same time, Caroline shared with me that she was thinking about writing a book about the emotional side of hearing loss.

And so our paths came together.

Our expertise as an audiologist, hearing health advocate, and psychotherapist complemented each other to form what I like to call the Dream Team!

Here we all are:

The Dream Team: Andrea Simonson is pictured top right, Caroline Norman bottom right, and Carly Sygrove (me) on the left.

Through the power of the internet, we shared ideas and documents online, and divided up tasks according to each of our strengths and interests.

Our book, Sudden Hearing Loss: Stories of Hope, Guidance, and Support, was published nearly a year ago by Johns Hopkins University Press. It comes from our hearts and from our own experiences. It is a comprehensive guide, sharing information and the experiences of over 60 people worldwide.

We hope those who have read it have found comfort and community. And for those who may need it in the future, we hope you find it at the time when you need it most.

If you do read it, we would love to hear your thoughts or a review on Amazon. It means so much to hear from people who have found our book as supportive as we hoped it would be.

Happy World Book Day!