In 2004, when Hannah Hodson was nine years old, she was seriously injured in a riding accident when her horse reared, threw her to the ground and landed on top of her.
Mum Denise tells Hannah’s story...
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She was given a 50/50 chance of survival and put into a medically-induced coma for six days while the bruising settled down and the doctors carried out further tests.
Miraculously they discovered that, although Hannah had broken most of the bones in her skull and face, she hadn’t broken any other bones in the rest of her body and her neck was not broken, as they had first suspected.
Hannah was brought out of the coma on her seventh day in hospital so that she could have reconstructive surgery on her face and a tracheotomy. The operation lasted seven hours and she had five plates inserted.
Just two weeks after the accident, Hannah was allowed home and it was only then that mum Denise realised their next challenge – Hannah was completely deaf in her right ear. Hannah’s grandparents had telephoned to welcome her home but when she put the phone to her right hear she couldn’t hear their voices.
Hearing tests later confirmed this diagnosis and Hannah was referred back to hospital to see a Baha specialist.
At first Hannah didn’t want to have a Baha, but she did agree to try a special headband that could conduct sound through her skull to her functioning hear. This helped her a great deal but when she started getting teased about it at school, she refused to wear it any more.
Eventually, in 2006, Hannah decided that she did want the full implant and in April 2007 she went back into the operating theatre to have her Baha fitted. Her sound processor was fitted in August and when it was first switched on she kept saying how loud everything was and that she wanted people to ‘stop shouting!’
Now Hannah, who lives with her mum and sister in Birmingham, loves being able to hear better than she has done for the last 3 ½ years and has started to become much more confident.
