Sound of Metal
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At the age of 17, I caught Meningitis B which left me profoundly deaf in both ears. Subsequently, I was the first person in the UK to be fitted with bilateral cochlear implants; hearing aids that enabled me cope with this disability. Going deaf as a young adult is a unique situation, as most deaf people are either born that way or as a result of old age. I've never met anyone who could relate to me, and there is nothing in popular culture which could help me explain to people how I felt, how I coped, how I hear now, and how it's taken me many years (plus therapy) to really accept my disability. I recently watched Sound of Metal, an award-winning film starring Riz Ahmed, about a dummer called Ruben who loses his hearing and has his music-centric life completely turned upside down. This film touched me on so many levels that I had to share, if not to spread awareness of my "invisible disability", then just to recommend a fantastic film in general. Riz perfectly captures...