The Gift of Hearing tells the story of Gateshead’s Jo Milne (pictured), who has Ushers Syndrome. Jo was born deaf and has recently started losing her sight too. Two years ago she became an internet sensation when she was filmed hearing for the first time after having implants fitted.
Now Jo is fulfilling a dream that she and her best friend Amina Khan had as children: to provide hearing aids to hundreds of children in Bangladesh.
Made by BBC’s North East current affairs team and narrated by Jo’s friend broadcaster Lauren Laverne, The Gift Of Hearing follows Jo on her trip to Bangladesh where five percent of the children are profoundly deaf.
In Dahka, Jo works with the charities The Hearing Fund UK and the Starkey Foundation to provide hearing aids. For Jo, seeing first-hand hundreds of children being given the chance to hear for the first time is an incredibly emotional but rewarding experience.
BBC Two on 4 August at 11.05pm to 11.35pm
