I love Woolworths for so many reasons……..

My right hand is spastic which makes chopping up food for a meal particularly onerous. I can do it – sure! But you can imagine how much easier it is to simply buy “Woolies” food which has already been sliced, diced, chopped and cut up. Sheer bliss! I’ve had many a glorious dinner party that has solely been catered for by Woolworths. And let me tell you, my dinner parties are something else! Woolies cheesecakes and butternut soup regularly make appearances in my kitchen. An advantage of living alone is that no one stops you making a cheesecake visit to the fridge at 3.30 in the morning!

I performed my one woman show, Gaynor Rising, in Durban and Cape Town. I was desperate to take it to Johannesburg but I needed sponsorship. I approached Woolworths and asked if I could appear in a promotional campaign that they were running at that time. They were using the words and faces of gifted creative artistic South Africans to promote their stores. I told them that I was an artist both before and after my accident. They responded positively, but explained that they couldn’t sponsor my show directly, but would cast me in an advertisement. I could obviously use the money I was paid as I wished. I set off to do this assignment with a light heart. What a wonderful experience it proved to be. I took my cockatiel, Pandora, with me. I thought she would make a wonderful co-star! However Marco, the photographer, was reluctant to use her because of the flash. He had once before been shooting a woman and a baby rabbit. Apparently the flash went off and rabbit promptly had a heart attack and died!!!
So Pandora remained safely in her cage out of flash range!

Woolworths has made my heart smile again.
Their Christmas ‘Giving Back‘ campaign has struck a chord. They aim to help ten children with severe hearing problems. They also will provide much needed specialist equipment for ear and hearing examinations helping more than 750 children a year. They will make a donation to the Children’s Hospital Trust, every time a linked Woolworths Rewards or MySchool card is swiped between the 5th November and the 25th December. As part of this campaign, Woolworths flew three deaf children who they had previously helped to London to take part in an photo shoot with Pharrell Williams. He is an international singer-songwriter, producer, fashion designer and philanthropist. As one of the children’s mothers said after this experience: “Today because of Woolworths, these children can lead normal lives. Through this campaign we want to show what a difference people’s contribution can make.”

For me, being deaf was a solitary, lonely existence. Having my Cochlear Implants changed my life completely. The universe seemed to explode into being once more. It bought the world back to me and me back to the world. I could hear the sound of birdsong, children’s voices and the wind in trees. These deaf children, that Woolworths will be helping, have never heard. Their ears have not been awakened to glorious sound. I watched a video of a ten month old baby who was fitted with a Cochlear Implant and then “switched on”. She heard her mother’s voice! Indeed she heard sound for the first time. The delighted smile that spread across her face is a sight I don’t ever want to forget.

Cochlear Implants are expensive. Very expensive! R275,000 each. What Woolworths is doing is a mind blowing thing. They are almost making these children whole again.
Kahlil Gibran says: “I slept and I dreamed that life is all joy. I woke and I saw that life is all service. I served and I saw that service is joy.”
How I love those words! Woolworths is going to be helping children hear. In return these ‘hearing’ deaf children will have the opportunity to give so much back to the world. Isn’t that what giving is all about?

An evening before Christmas, I walked up my parents drive with my new Cochlear Implant. I stopped half way. Dead still. The front door was open and I could hear the Christmas carol that Mum was playing on her Hi-Fi. She was singing along in the kitchen, her voice clear and true.
Oh Holy Night, The stars are brightly shining, this is the night of my dear Saviour’s birth….
Tears filled my eyes. That was the first carol I had heard in eighteen years.
I stood there in the darkening evening air and I rejoiced in sound.
I glory in the knowledge that these ‘Woolworths’ children will one day also be able to enjoy the delight of Christmas carols!

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My mind is full of Madiba. I have been watching TV and he is everywhere. And yet he is gone. In Heaven, our Lord will be saying: “Hey there, good and faithful servant…” I could and should write about him. But there are people better qualified to do that. So in order to turn my mind to other things, I read through my journal. And I thought: “Yes, that is what I will tell them about this week – My time performing Gaynor Rising at the Baxter Theatre. This was pre-Cochlear Implant, time.

Pandora, my cockatiel and I left for Cape Town. Some people travel with their spouses or partners. I travel with my bird! I was to be performing at The Baxter Theatre for two weeks. I was looking forward to it but was also poop scared. The last time I had performed at The Baxter was before my accident. When I was an actress. A damn good one! That was over. I now performed as Gaynor Young telling her “story”. Would people find it interesting? Would it hold their attention? Maralin Vanrenen, my director, had no doubts whatsoever. I must do what I always do…have faith in Maralin!

 

After the show one night, I was drinking a glass of wine with friends when I was tapped on my shoulder. A man with a spastic left hand greeted me: “Yes,” he smiled acknowledging my look of recognition and moving his hand. “The same as you except I’m lucky, I’m right handed!” We introduced ourselves and then he said: “I so enjoyed your show. You showed me the joy of living. I had forgotten. Thankyou!”

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An added problem was that many restaurants have music playing in the background. Piped music to add to the restaurant’s “wonderful allure”!!! In the background! Ha! When one is deaf, dealing with background music is always a nightmare. A total, unendurable nightmare! I would sit there desperately trying to lip read what everyone was saying. Inevitably I would call the manager over and say: “Excuse me, I am deaf. Would you mind turning the music down?”

The manager would always go and turn the music down with a slightly bewildered look on his face. It was only when my family pointed out the contradictory nature of my request, that I was able to see the funny side. “I am deaf. Please could you turn the music down?”

The thing is that when one is deaf, sound is incredibly important. Certain sounds take priority. The voices of my friends and family are the most important thing. Anything that interferes with hearing them must be banished. Or turned down at least!

What I never appreciated until speaking to my friend, B, was that the hearing people also get gatvol (fed up) with background music. Her father hates muzak in restaurants, supermarkets and lifts so much so that he has joined a great organisation called Pipedown. This campaigns against “noise pollution”!

In the words of Stephen Fry, the playwright, another Pipedown supporter, “Piped water, piped oil, piped gas, yes!  But never piped music!”

The post Pipedown!!!!! appeared first on 'ear 'ear! by Gaynor Young.

I was chatting to some friends at a dinner party when suddenly I was tapped on the back. I turned to this petite, pixie haired woman. In fact, she was a tiny elf with dancing, crinkly eyes that met my stare quite openly. Then she spoke. Hell, I would kill to have a voice like hers –  deep and husky with a strong British accent. Incredibly sexy sounding!

“Hi,” she said, “I believe you’re deaf.” Taken aback, I merely nodded. ” Well,” she said “so am I,” and pointed to hearing aids in both ears.

“You’re deaf?” I said stupidly.

“I have 20% hearing in both ears so, yes, I’m deaf!” she laughed. I liked her instantly. I left the dinner party that night having made another friend in George.

B and her husband, John, went back to their home in England for Christmas and we  SMS’ed each other daily. In one SMS she asked me how old my computer was.

“About 10 years old,” I replied.

“Okay, listen,” said B, “I have about 3 lap-tops lying around. When I return I’ll bring

one over for you.”

I was totally gob-smacked as you can imagine! True to her word, B and John landed back in George and that evening she bought around my laptop. It was, in our modern day slang words “totally awesome!”

Even better than my wonderful lap-top, is my friend with the dancing eyes – B! She is a mass of contradictions. A gregarious person, yet one that likes being by herself. I think being deaf all her life she is quite comfortable being alone. She is this mad keen golfer and I believe is damn good. Her handicap is 8! I feel as if I have known her a long, loooong time. It is very rare to encounter friends like this. This is the first time that I ever have! In fact B is more than a best friend. She is a Soulmate. “Soulmate” Pah! I used to scoff at the word. As far as I was concerned, Soulmate was a very over the top way of saying best friend. Soulmate – Yuck!  Uh uh, definitely not for me. I preferred to be more down to earth using the word: best friend.

Until I met B. There is no other word that adequately sums up what B is to me. And so, at that dinner party, a Soulmate stepped into my life.

Two friends curled up on the sofa, mugs of Spearmint and Camomile tea in hand, talking, laughing and just being. Sitting at my favourite restaurant, Travelbugs,  tucking into their delectable Chefs salad with chicken sprinkled on top. Meeting B at gym which is not the most ideal situation – for me! She makes me work so damned hard. I have even been known to sweat!!! Also, at gym, we have discovered the joys of the steam bath. There I sweat without a problem and I love doing it. Very red faced when I come out but I feel fresh and ready to face the world!

I could weep that B spends six months of the year in England,  BUT today I am flying to England to spend three weeks with my friend – a present from B!

I thank God for bringing this Soulmate into my life. I thank Him for inventing B!

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