Sarah Henderso

Since June 2015, after a nasty virus which affected my head and balance, I have never fully recovered my hearing in my right ear. I thought it would come back when I got better, but it didn't.

Initially it was horrible, especially as before this I had perfect hearing (my left ear is still great!). I tried to ignore it and my brain adjusted but the ringing didn't stop.

Fast forward a couple of months and I saw the university doctor. I was incurable I was told, and also told that you are one of the "lucky" few who have tinnitus at the age of 22. My options were remedies for limiting but not curing the ringing, or to wear a hearing aid to rent adjust my hearing. I signed up to it but have moved away from my university since graduating and so haven't taken the aid yet. Beside I'm still 22 and don't want to consign myself to hearing aids just yet. My dad, a doctor himself, agrees.

I feel no one really understands what it is like. I feel I can't complain. And some of the time if I'm not stressed and out running I don't hear it as much. But other times it is really loud and I can't get to sleep, or I can't survey peace and quiet on a walk because guess what, my ear is ringing. As I've had this over a year people who did care about it have accepted it and as it isn't a physical obvious problem don't ask anymore about it.

We need a cure for this. It hasn't stopped me being me,living my life to the full or loving what I do. But just for one hour I would love to have my hearing back to what it was and not hear ringing anymore.