Yunus January…the man, the myth…the legend.
I lost my hearing at the age of 12 as a result of viral meningitis. I have attended normal hearing school and I am current and undergraduate student at the University of Cape Town, Studying a BSc Majoring in Economics and Statistics.
Losing my hearing has had a great impact on my life, both positive and negative, although I prefer not to dwell on the negative aspects; I will give some form of summary of what I went through and how I managed to cope, as a result of my unfortunate hearing loss.
My hearing loss was sudden and unexpected. I had initially lost my sight as a result of contracting Viral Meningitis and was taken to hospital, whereby I was misdiagnosed as simply being mischievous, when complaining to my parents that I could not see. I was promptly sent home and told to see another doctor the following morning.
It was then that I was diagnosed with Viral Meningitis, a life threatening illness. I spent about a week in the Intensive care unit, where I semi-consciously spent my 13th Birthday. One morning, two weeks later after receiving a lumber-punch, I awoke to the sound of silence. I then spent another week or two recovering in hospital.
After being discharged from hospital, almost a month after being admitted, the real challenge began.
Adjusting to daily life was very difficult, as I had not yet fully recovered, being able to walk was a challenging as my balance was out and my right eye was squint causing to me have double vision.
Adjusting to school was also a challenge. For the first few months after leaving hospital I did not wear a hearing aid as doctors wanted my hearing to recover on its own accord, in that time I had to attend school and somehow miraculously managed to pass my grade. The damage was both external and internal, yet this damage allows one to appreciate the gift of life, allowing an understanding that can only be understood through suffering.
Ultimately, I am fortunate to be in the situation I am today, many other individuals in this country are in a worse situations and desperately need assistance and support. I am confident that this group will alleviate the plight of other hearing impaired South Africans and also provide support for its members.
