"Hello, I'm Stuart!
And a very warm welcome to my website. I have lived with hearing loss for more than 40 years. I wore hearing aids for nearly 20 years and have now worn cochlear implants for more than 20 years. The very discovery of cochlear implants, however, has given me a new lease of life. For many, the journey towards cochlear implantation can feel very overwhelming.
My journey with hearing loss started as a small baby. I acknowledge that I am one of the lucky ones: the level of care and support I have received have helped me get to where I am today and I want this for you and your loved ones. Raised in a hearing family and mainstream schooled, I have always had to work much harder to get the same opportunities. Learning is something I always thrived on so I would often withdraw into my own little world and read.
After leaving school, I qualified as an Accountant, but lost interest quickly. Inside the same firm, I was fortunate to be able able to transition into a Marketing role, eventually completing a Masters Degree; this served me well in my international corporate career. Until I discovered teaching. At the height of my teaching career, I was teaching 200+ students per week at a leading London University.
At the same time, I was also working in the cochlear implant industry and witnessed first-hand the lack of psychological support for people considering cochlear implants, both from the manfacturing end, but also from the various types of health services across the world. This coincided with my interest in psychology. In creating The Cochlear Implant Coach, I have decided to combine my marketing, teaching and counselling credentials and my knowledge in the industry to counsel adults and families considering cochlear impants. After much market research, I have designed and launched a programme that I am immensley proud of. I wish the REDJ Programme has existed when I was getting my cochlear implants.
Stuart lost his hearing as a baby. From a young age, after each day at school, he would find ways to retreat from the world where he was frequently bullied or discriminated against. One of these ways was through the discovery of books. From his early teens, he would read for hours each evening. Before leaving school, he started writing short stories. 'He Is Not Me' is Stuart's first published work.
Hailed as one of mankind's most amazing inventions, the cochlear implant has changed the lives of more than a million people. A potential hearing solution for individuals who are severely or profoundly deaf, the decision to be surgically implanted is one of the most important decisions individuals will ever make.
Stuart was implanted in 2001 and, in his compelling and moving account of life as a profoundly deaf child and an implanted adult, shares his journey to hearing. He Is Not Me explores themes such as childhood bullying, discrimination in the work place and the conflict between the deaf and hearing worlds.
