During the previous ten years, I had used my implant to help other people learn about computers. At our society for deaf and blind people, I taught, and still teach, DeafBlind people how to use computers. I was one of the first DeafBlind people on the internet back in 1995.

The door that had been opened by my first implant was widened considerably by the addition of the second. Just take a look here, I look like the bionic man, so many leads hanging from me! Digital radio started me back on the path of finding, in a crude way, music. Now I could have stereo, I could re-construct tunes I used to know. I can’t hear any new tunes, but I always loved music. Classical music still eludes me, but I can now cope with all the pop stuff I used to know.

I can’t thank both the Leeds Society for Deaf and Blind people and Manchester cochlear implant centre enough for, over the years, giving me so much help and support. Pat my wife also was invaluable to me in so many ways.

I live on my own now in my own flat - it's like something out of Doctor Who! Way back when I was 15, I had always wanted to be a DJ. The old off-shore pirate radio stations really started this for me. I never dreamed I would do anything like this though. However, at the beginning of this year, I decided to take the plunge and shell out on equipment for doing “gigs”. The world's first DeafBlind DJ. Here I am at my consol, minus the chest wig, you note, and the silvery glittery jackets - just not my scene!

How could I have done all this without my implants? They are my life, my sanity and my bridge out of what was a very lonely world. If people take the time to speak properly, I can understand them. I can use the phone again and I manage life reasonably well on my own. I do have a carer, Mike, who takes me shopping and so on. Mobility is impossible outside the house, since it would be far too dangerous for me to venture outside far on my own. I used to travel all over and worked abroad in France for a little while.

It is my hope that I will be able to do gigs for charities. I’ve done a couple for our society already and have another two lined up. Even with my implants, I can control and mix the two CD players in my consol, as you can see here. I also can scan any normal book, to hear its text.

There is still so much I could say, but there’s simply not enough room here. My implants are life itself to me and I hope nothing ever goes wrong for me, “the big MG” - my DJ name that is. Well, we can’t all be slim jims can we. The name seemed so right.

One more aspect must be mentioned here. In 1997 I became a Tibetan Buddhist. With my Lama as my guide, I was given an inner strength to face the mountain of challenges I have had to face up to over the last 20 years or so.

My implants have made those challenges so much easier to deal with. All through, I have had the backing and support of so many people. Centenary house, where our society is based, has been like a second home for me over the years. They have, along with the Manchester cochlear implant centre, seen me through my really hard days and my path through the learning process of using my implants. Now I hope to look forward to a future helping other people and teaching them some of the skills I have had to teach myself. I never had the chance to be taught properly, so now I want every DeafBlind person to get the chance to learn and not have the difficulties I had to suffer.