Alison Wallace woke up one day to find her hearing had disappeared
A young woman who suddenly became “profoundly deaf” has shared her harrowing experience of being “spat on” for using sign language, but found a silver lining thanks to her hearing dog. Alison Wallace, 28, from Flintshire, was diagnosed with a “very rare” auto-immune condition after waking up at 13 without her hearing, which fluctuated for six years before permanently disappearing in 2020.
The condition took its toll on Alison’s self-confidence, leaving her feeling like a mere “shadow” of her former self, plagued by nightmares and watching her social circle dwindle.
Her ordeal worsened when she was publicly humiliated and “spat on” by a youth while using sign language, an incident that left her feeling “dehumanised and disrespected”.
However, Alison’s fortunes improved dramatically after getting involved with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, a charity that trains dogs to assist the deaf. In April 2019, she was paired with Damson, a hearing dog who now alerts her to important sounds like the smoke alarm or doorbell, allowing her to sleep soundly once more.
Alison, who became profoundly deaf overnight at 13, credits her emotional support dog Damson for the “indescribable” boost to her well-being, helping her overcome obstacles to such an extent that she passed her driving test, moved in with partner Maciej Filipiak after a chance meeting during a dog walk, and is now expecting their first child.
“Just as I was hitting puberty, my life became about deafness and mental health,” said Alison, a youth development lead. “I had no confidence and no self-esteem, I felt a shadow of myself.
“The mental health side of having Damson has been indescribable and it’s the hardest thing to try and explain how much she means to me. She’s my ears, but she’s also my best friend.”
The dramatic shift in Alison’s life occurred in 2010 when she went from fully hearing to “profoundly deaf”. “My mum had called me to get up and wash the dishes and when I didn’t answer, she assumed I was ignoring her,” Alison recalled.
Her hearing fluctuated for six years before doctors diagnosed her with a “very rare” auto-immune condition affecting her inner ear. In 2020, Alison became permanently deaf and despite hearing aids, now relies on British Sign Language (BSL) as her main mode of communication.
Alison, who struggled with her impairment throughout her youth, recounted the harrowing experiences she faced, including having nightmares “every night”, losing friends, and suffering from low self-esteem.
“I used to fall asleep with the TV or a light on because I was terrified when it was fully dark and silent,” she revealed. “I lost my friends almost overnight, they were either too weirded-out by the change or didn’t have the patience to try and communicate with me.”
She leaned heavily on her parents, Lorraine, 65, and Billy, 69, for support during her teenage years, which were largely spent at home watching TV as she felt clueless about her future career.
“On my first day at sixth-form college, I was told, ‘no deaf person goes to university, there’s nothing you can study, there’s no support for you’,” Alison recalled.
However, her fortunes changed when a tutor recommended a sign language and deaf studies degree at the University of Central Lancashire. After starting work at the Deafness Resource Centre in 2018, Alison faced a degrading incident where youths mocked her in public.
“As they passed, I turned to look back and saw one of the boys do mocking hand signals, he caught my eye and I challenged him,” she said. “He spat on me before walking away with his friends.
“I’d dealt with bad attitudes to deafness before, but nothing so blatantly degrading. I felt dehumanised and disrespected.”
Alison’s life took a turn for the better when she linked up with Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. “When I heard I’d been matched with my hearing dog Damson in April 2019, I felt at peace for the first time in years,” beamed Alison.
Damson has been trained to signal Alison about diverse sounds like smoke alarms, doorbells, and her alarm clock.
“I feel much safer going out at night now. I know I’m not alone when I have Damson with me and I feel protected and trust she would alert me to something going on,” Alison explained. “If someone breaks in, she would tell me before someone was in the bedroom – I don’t have that constant ‘what if’ anymore.”
Furthermore, the confidence Damson has instilled in Alison is extraordinary; having gained enough assurance to progress through driving lessons, earn her driver’s licence, move away from her family home, and thrive in her current role which involves public speaking to large groups of children.
Now, Alison and her partner, Maciej, who she met while out on a dog walk in May 2020, are eagerly expecting their first baby.
“I still have some poor mental health days, but on the days when I’m bad Damson just stays by my side,” she fondly shared. “She makes me feel I can give anything a try and I can’t imagine my life without her.”