They Survived Cancer. Then They Lost Their Hearing. Did Anyone Warn Them?

2026-03-18

There's a side effect of cancer treatment that affects millions of people every year. It's permanent. It's devastating. And many patients, it seems, aren't told about it before treatment begins. I had no idea this was happening. None. And I've been asking questions about cancer care for long enough that I should probably have known. Anna Kirton is a Health Coach and Hearing Loss Advocate. She was born profoundly deaf in one ear. She knows what it means to navigate a world that wasn't designed with you in mind. But it was an oncologist's offhand question last year — d...

There's a side effect of cancer treatment that affects millions of people every year. It's permanent. It's devastating. And many patients, it seems, aren't told about it before treatment begins.

I had no idea this was happening. None. And I've been asking questions about cancer care for long enough that I should probably have known.

Anna Kirton is a Health Coach and Hearing Loss Advocate. She was born profoundly deaf in one ear. She knows what it means to navigate a world that wasn't designed with you in mind. But it was an oncologist's offhand question last year — do you realise some cancer patients lose their hearing due to chemotherapy — that stopped her cold.

More than 50% of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy experience hearing damage. Around 4 million people worldwide every year. Some caused by platinum-based drugs routinely used for ovarian, lung, bladder and head and neck cancers. Permanent. Often gradual enough that patients don't notice until it's already significant. And when treatment ends and they raise it — they're referred to an audiologist, fitted with a hearing aid, and told to get on with it.

"Survival or deafness? Pretty much", says Anna. That's the choice.

We talk about what that actually means for a real person going back to work, rebuilding relationships, working out who they are after cancer. Already carrying the weight of having been a patient. Now losing their hearing on top of it. Without warning. Without preparation. Without support.

Anna lost her first husband to cancer. She knows this world from more than one angle. I suspect she wishes she didn't...

----more----

The following is a full transcript of this episode for anyone who is deaf, hard of hearing, or who prefers to read.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1puY4Ilkjq_7s_cwfFE9LgUxTUoBBdDCUbh6F5UrzEQ0/edit?usp=sharing

Anna would really like to hear from anyone affected by deafness following cancer treatment to assist both her and her collegues greater understabding of the issue and support needed.

Contact her on LinkedIn

Her website: Think Health Coaching

Comments (3)