October 9, 2020
Breaking the silence By Luke Voogt Sudden hearing loss plunged Newtown scientist and mother-of-three Sinéad Williams into a “terrifying silent world” for five weeks earlier this year. But a cochlear implant has helped her resume her potentially life-saving research into drugs to fight COVID-19. “I’m actually hearing better than I ever did,” she said outside her Newtown home on Tuesday morning, as birds tweeted, power tools blared and cars drove past nearby. Sinéad was born in Ireland with profound hearing loss after her mother contracted rubella while pregnant. “My mum was told I would never be able to speak,” she said.
‘‘
I couldn’t hear my husband, my children
’’
- Sinéad Williams But Sinéad learned, went through mainstream school and, motivated by her hearing loss, completed a PhD in virology in Scotland. “I was fascinated that I lost my hearing to the rubella virus,” she said. She remembered the first day her future Australian husband David, a CSIRO scientist, walked into the lab in Glasgow. “I thought he was gorgeous,” she said. The two became friends, started dating and eventually moved to Australia. “I was up for the adventure,” Sinéad said. Sinéad has worn a hearing aid on her left ear for most of her life, with almost no hearing in Sinéad Williams and David Williams. (Louisa Jones) 217560_02 her right. But in January, while on holiday in New could only hear 12 per cent of words and 37 per plunge and underwent surgery for a cochlear South Wales with her family, she realised cent of sounds. implant. After another two weeks in the silent something was terribly wrong. Even after the treatment she felt “frustrated” world, she took a while to adjust to artificial “I woke up one morning and didn’t feel and “isolated” not being able to hear family, hearing when specialists turned the implant on. well,” she said. “My hearing had gone by the friends and work colleagues. “I didn’t like my voice at all at first,” she said. afternoon.” “That was a very surreal experience because Perhaps most upsetting was not being able to Sinéad descended into “the silent world” for monitor the speech of her youngest son Toby, 5, it sounded like a robot sound. It takes time to five weeks, which she described as “terrifying.” who has down syndrome. tolerate the electrical stimulation.” “I still get quite emotional when I think But she got used to the sound in various “I remember his speech therapist would ask about it,” she said. me, ‘what is he saying?’ and I would say ‘I don’t ways, including reading to Toby. “I couldn’t hear my husband, my children, I know’,” she said. “I was having to rely on others “Now I’m in a much better position to help had no hearing all around me.” him with his speech development,” she said. to tell me.” After two weeks of steroid treatments, she She now hears 56 per cent of words and 80 On the advice of ear specialists, she took the
per cent of sounds thanks to the implant. “The older two boys are a bit more careful what they say around me now because I’m hearing better,” she laughed. “I just can’t believe how powerful this technology is.” The implant has also helped with her potentially lifesaving work at CSRIO to fight COVID-19. Sinéad is part of a team of scientists that has grown cells to mimic the lung’s response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the pandemic, and screen possible drug treatments. Details: www.cochlear.com.
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