Young girl with hearing loss raises money for deaf charity

Audrey Tyrell, eight, was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss when she was a baby.

The condition affects the inner ear and sufferers often hear muffled speech and find it difficult to understand words, while others are sensitive to loud noises.

It hasn’t stopped young Audrey, however. Not for one second.

Along with her mother, Tracey, at their home in Ramsey, she has designed a collection of t-shirts to raise awareness for hearing loss and money for the National Deaf Children’s Society.

Since the collection was launched, sales have been made across the UK and overseas to Ireland.

Family - Audrey with siblings (left to right) Harry, Jack and Emily

Tracey explained her pride at how successful her daughter’s idea has been.

She said: “Audrey decided she wanted to design this little collection which we thought could help the charity, so we make them together and we said we would donate £1 from each item sold to help give back.

“It was lovely she wanted to be involved and create something that was deaf aware and about her identity as a child with hearing loss, while also representing other children with the same condition.

“When she was six-weeks-old she was fitted with her first pair of tiny pink hearing aids, or magic ears as we call them, and she’s worn hearing aids every day since and will wear them every day forever more.

“At the time, when you find out your new baby is deaf, it’s a devastation you can’t ever expect. It’s never on the radar at all.

“Our fears really were would she speak, would she be able to hear the sea, the birds etcetera.

“I worried if my little girl would ever be able to do ballet; if she would be able to talk. All these things you take for granted.”

Audrey would, in fact, be able to perform ballet and to quite an impressive standard too.

She has triumphed in multiple competitions and competed in national grand finals in Blackpool in November 2018.

Her ability to overcome the obstacles she has faced in life is why Tracey believes, Audrey, who is one of four children to her and husband Andrew, is destined for great things.

Don't spend it all at once, Audrey!

Tracey added: “She is absolutely phenomenal. The past year has been hard as she relies very heavily on lip reading, which masks have made extremely difficult, this has been a massive barrier for her.

“But she is tenacious, ambitious, and has never let her hearing loss make her feel or be any different.

“She just is this shining light and I think she is destined for greatness, there’s something in her that wants to do good things.”

It is a project which young Audrey has loved being a part of since suggesting the original idea. Her enthusiasm has helped Tracey, coming up with ideas and packaging the product.

The eight-year-old said: “I love helping Mummy and really enjoyed designing these special t-shirts.

“It makes me really happy when people buy them as I then have another £1 to donate to the charity. I want everyone to know that anything is possible, everyone can achieve a dream.”

The National Deaf Children’s Society is a cause close to the family’s heart, having been there for them when they needed answers and were searching for what to expect.

Tracey praised their free weekend for parents and carers of children newly diagnosed with hearing loss and explained how when she went along it changed everything for the family.

It helped them to understand what was going on and to express how they truly felt about things. It is why, since then, the family have worked to give back.

To buy a t-shirt go to the Facebook page Tracey Tyrrell Makes.