
Sarah

I found life very difficult before I met Waffle, I felt isolated and lonely but Waffle completely changed my life and I feel so lucky to have her. Taking on something like the Rickshaw Challenge is something I would have never dreamed of doing before I met Waffle, but now I know that I can do this. I hope that my story helps to inspire other young people like me.
Sarah is 16 and from Hillingdon.
Sarah was born with hearing but an infection as a baby meant that she was left unable to hear. Sarah was fitted with a cochlear implant in her early years. This helped to improve her hearing but communicating and everyday life was still extremely difficult for her. Sarah felt isolated, lacked confidence and struggled to make friends. When Sarah was nine years old, she was assigned a hearing dog, Waffle by Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. This Children in Need supported charity trains dogs to help alert deaf people to important and life-saving sounds that they would otherwise miss. Waffle has changed Sarah’s life, and helped her to transform into a confident and independent young person.