Brett Lee now lends his ear for hearing impaired kids

BENGALURU: One of the fastest bowlers in the world, he was a force on the field. But then life dealt him a blow and former Australian cricketer, Brett Lee found himself in unknown waters, trying to come to terms with it.

His son met with an accident when he was five years old, causing him to lose his hearing in the right ear. It was a trying time but  luckily the little boy got his hearing back after 12 months.

The trauma was such that the former cricketer has begun a different innings as the Cochlear’s Global Hearing Ambassador, and is now actively involved in the  'Sounds of Cricket' campaign, which hopes to create greater awareness on all aspects of hearing loss.

“It was indeed a horrible phase. This personal tragedy shook me and  I decided to do a lot of reading and research on children growing up with hearing loss and how  they adapt to  society,” says Brettt, who is working to educate people about the uses of cochlear implants in the recovery of hearing.

“This issue is very close to my heart and my heart goes out to parents with children who are even partially deaf,” says the man, who once set the field on fire with his pace and bowling.

In the city as part of the campaign , he took time out to speak to Deccan Chronicle about his experience in the country as ambassador of the cause he is so passionate about.

“I have made two trips to India and I have seen a huge jump in awareness among parents. Many are still wary of putting a processor behind their ear, but they need to get over that stigma.”

Suggesting that babies be screened for their hearing when they are born, he points out that it is mandatory in Australia  to get a hearing test done in the first 24 hours of birth.

“As many as  999 out of a thousand infants get their ears tested. There is a lot of government support in his regard,” he adds. Offering a word of caution for parents, he says they need to be very cautious and  take their infants to audiologists as soon as they feel that something is not right with them. “Don't wait too long,” is his advice.

“In cricket batsmen want to touch 100. Such should be the case in real life too. Want to do your 100, don't you?” he smiles. “People think  we (cricketers) are heroes, but honestly, I feel doctors are the captains and then come physicians and speech therapists. They are the ones who put  in the hard work,”  he concludes.