Gordon is helping Elyana to feel safe

Gordon made it!

Gordon is a hearing dog! Hurray!

He has been partnered with Elyana, aged 10. Her deafness has made her very anxious, but Gordon is helping her to feel safe, and has made an enormous difference to her life from day one.

The challenges of deafness

Elyana’s deafness is a mystery, as her mother Silvie explains: “Around the age of two she started to lose her hearing. No one knew why. At three years old, she had cochlear implants, which attach to the auditory nerve and give a sense of sound.”

Elyana takes over the story: “My parents have brought me up to be deaf and proud! However, I have had some problems.

“Sometimes my friends are too busy to slow down or repeat themselves, which makes joining in kind of tricky. I might miss a joke, or who is ‘it’ playing a game of chase.

“When we have sleepovers, they can chat after the lights go off. I must take my implants’ processors out at night, to avoid damaging them, which means I can’t hear anything. My friends try to be considerate, but it still makes me feel lonely.

“I also don’t sleep well on my own, because I can’t hear or see anything in the dark. Then I’m tired the next day, which makes things harder.”

And then… Gordon!     

Elyana’s father Martijn explains: “Elyana has had severe social anxiety. Also, she’s told us that, at night, all her worries come flooding in, increasing her anxiety. So, we wanted to support her emotionally as well as practically. A hearing dog seemed perfect.”

As we mentioned in the last update, Gordon loves children. It was the perfect match! Elyana explains: “With Gordon around, I feel safe. If anything serious happens in the night such as the fire alarm going off, Gordon will alert me. He’s my cuddly security blanket.

“He tells me about all kinds of other sounds too. He is my alarm clock. He wakes me up by pulling my duvet off, and giving me a big wet lick across my face.

“He’s also my private messenger. If I can’t hear my mum or dad calling me, they say ‘Gordon, call Ely’. He runs up to my room, gives me a nose-nudge and takes me downstairs.

“Gordon is happy, and that makes me happy too. He loves being brushed and having his teeth cleaned because his toothpaste tastes like chicken!

“It’s like I have my own personal best friend living with me.”

Silvie and Martijn are so grateful for the gift of Gordon: “It’s the love and stability he gives Elyana. She sleeps better, so she has energy for school, for life. She opens up in group conversations and loves telling people about Gordon. We cannot wait to see their relationship grow.”

It would be wonderful if you could sponsor another puppy. However you decide, let’s leave the final words to Elyana: “I’m so grateful that he has become my hearing dog as he has changed my life in the most positive of ways. I love him so much, I don’t know what I’d do without Gordon and his happy personality. THANK YOU!!!!!!”