A young woman who was the victim of a medical mishap which left her with hearing problems since she was a child has described the moment “tears welled up” in her eyes when she tried on specialist aids for the first time.

Leigh-Ann Chant has spent many years suffering after tiny tubes called grommets were inserted into her ear at the age of six to prevent the accumulation of fluid.

The 28-year-old, of Silvervale Road, Ramsgate, was then "lost in the system" and did not have them removed until she was 14, several years after the should have been taken out, causing considerable damage.

She is working to raise enough money to buy her very own pair of specialist hearing aids after trying them for the first time.

Leigh-Ann's ordeal began a child when she had the grommets fitted, aged six.

She said: “After two years if they haven’t fallen out naturally they are supposed to be surgically removed.

“Unfortunately, I was lost in the system and mine were left in for 14 years, which left me needing multiple surgeries to fix my ear drums.

“The damage and the surgeries caused thick scarring on my ear drums which has left me with considerable hearing loss.”

Leigh-Ann got by through the use of lip-reading, but reality hit home when she started a job at a call centre two years ago.

She added: “The hearing aids I got from the NHS are not compatible with my ears and they amplify all sounds.

“With everything just being made louder rather than clearer, I was still having to rely on lip reading and I ended up giving up with them as they were no help at all.

"This was all the NHS could offer and they told me I would have to go private.”

That is where Regain Hearing, based in Broadstairs, stepped in to help.

“I was able to see an audiologist and test out some alternative hearing aids, not truly believing they would be any different,” Leigh-Ann said.

“I put them on and thought, wow, things are supposed to sound like that? Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought what I had missed out on.

“It feels like I have been walking around with sound-proof headphones on all of my life.”

But Regain Hearing have only been able to loan Leigh-Ann a demo pair until she can raise enough to buy her own.

“It feels like I have been walking around with sound-proof headphones on all of my life...” - Leigh-Ann Chant

Leigh-Ann added: “Just on the street I can hear people’s footsteps walking up to me, I can hear cars coming down the road having had a few near misses, and so many other sounds I never knew existed.

“I wish I didn’t have to ask for help from anyone, but the truth is I just can’t make it happen on my own and it would be truly life changing to have them.”

Leigh-Ann is now on a mission to raise between £2,000 to £2,500.

She said: “Even if it is a tiny bit it all helps towards the cost.”

Regain Hearing will be accepting donations on Leigh-Ann’s behalf or go to gofundme.com/help-me-hear-hearing-aids-for-leighann