18/12/2025
🌟SUSAN'S STORY 🌟 Finding Freedom with WithNot4
For much of her life, Susan was told not to expect independence. “The nuns said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get married, have children and won’t need to hear,’” she recalls.
💜 Living with hearing loss shaped many of her choices. She avoided swimming, something she
always loved, out of fear of missing her family calling for her if she removed her hearing
aid.
💜 Before he became unwell, Susan’s husband John took care of everything and he
made most, if not all the decisions. When John went into hospital, he assumed Susan
couldn’t be independent, and Susan began to believe it herself. Susan faced a new chapter. She didn’t feel comfortable doing anything alone and was unsure how to begin living independently.
💚 That’s when Independent Life Assistant, Vicki, stepped up. Vicki met Susan and John when John was first diagnosed with cancer, and became a crucial support for Susan. She encouraged Susan, never pushing too hard and always standing by Susan’s choices.
💚 With Vicki’s support, Susan’s confidence bloomed. Vicki accompanied Susan to aqua aerobics classes until she felt confident going on her own. She helped Susan build connections in her community and showed her family that Susan could, in fact, live independently.
💚 Now, Susan volunteers at the local school canteen, where she enjoys working with
children, and with the CWA, where she’s made great friends. She travels independently,
catching the bus to Canberra to visit family.
✨ With Vicki's encouragement, Susan has found her independence and joy. “My whole
world opened up again,” Susan says. “I now have confidence in my ability to do things,”
she adds. “Vicki lifts me up.”✨
WithNot4 is proud to walk alongside Susan as she continues to grow in confidence, explore, and thrive.
Independence isn’t just possible, it’s happening. And Susan is living proof.
