Article contributed by Sharon Ruiz-Lopez
Do you have a date that’s etched in your memory? Maybe your birthday, your partner’s birthday, or a significant event? For me, that date is August 27, 2007—the day my life changed.
Big Dreams in a Small Town
I was born in 1988 in Atlacomulco, a small rural community in Mexico. Growing up without a phone line, TV, or the internet, I had an immense curiosity to discover the world. When I was nine, my parents finally got satellite TV. I wasn’t drawn to cartoons or kids’ shows; instead, I became hooked on science shows. On my tenth birthday, I made a big announcement: I wanted to be a scientist and live in England. My parents thought it was just a phase, but from that day, I worked tirelessly towards my dream.
An Unexpected Turn
August 27th, 2007, was just another day, or so I thought. It was the day after my 19th birthday and the second year away from home, pursuing a degree in Biochemical Engineering in Mexico City. I woke up at 6 am to a strange buzzing sound, like a pressure cooker. Living with five other women, I assumed someone was cooking early. I got ready for my 7 am class, but as soon as it started, I noticed something was wrong. I couldn’t hear my professor or my lab partner sitting next to me. My left ear was completely deaf, replaced by a relentless buzz. Panic set in. What was happening?
The buzzing didn’t stop. That night, the real nightmare began. The tinnitus slightly decreased, but then vertigo hit. Have you ever been so drunk you couldn’t walk? Imagine that feeling while sober. Everything spun so fast I couldn’t see straight. I tried to stand but immediately fell, losing my balance. I couldn’t talk to ask for help; my mind was in a fog. I was terrified, desperate, and dizzy. What was happening?
This terrifying experience repeated five times that week. Even when visiting my parents, it happened again. They took me to the hospital, where the GP suggested I was drunk. I felt alone and misunderstood. Over the following months, I took medication for dizziness, but the tinnitus remained.
Finding a Treatment Plan
In October 2007, I met a specialist, an ENT, who diagnosed me with Ménière’s Disease. Ménière’s is a disorder of the inner ear causing severe dizziness, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. “How do I get rid of it?” I asked. “There is no cure,” the ENT said, “But we can try to control it.”
Was this it? Was I doomed to live my life dizzy and partially deaf? You can imagine how sad, angry, and hopeless I felt.
Over the next few years, I followed a treatment plan that included diuretics to manage ear fluid and emergency medications for intense dizziness. In 2009, after enduring severe pain, I had surgery to remove my gallbladder due to calcium stones caused by the diuretics.
From 2009 to 2014 I had no vertigo attacks. I earned my Biochemical degree and a master’s in Biotechnology. Despite the tinnitus reducing my hearing by 20%, I was happy.
The Return of the Vertigo
But life has a way of complicating things. In 2014, I was in a stable relationship and working full-time in a pharmaceutical company when the vertigo returned. I experienced weekly vertigo attacks, often ending up in the hospital for anti-dizziness injections.
My ENT made a strong recommendation: “You can’t live alone anymore; it’s too risky. I’ll issue you a disability permit for when you’re in a car.”
I cried. At 26, it felt like my life was over. What was the point of excelling in school, getting good grades, and landing a nice job if this was my future?
Embracing Life’s Risks
In December 2014, while sitting in a park, feeling like the world was passing me by, I had an epiphany. Life is tough no matter what. So why not take risks? I decided to go for it. Over the next few months, I got certified in English as a second language, applied for PhD programs in England, and sought scholarships. By October 2015, my tinnitus and I moved to Manchester, UK, to pursue a PhD in Environmental Sciences.
Since then, life has been a rollercoaster. I earned my PhD, became a researcher, transitioned from academia to industry, and today, 16 years after my diagnosis, I’m a successful data scientist. Despite losing 30% of my hearing in my left ear and experiencing about 20 vertigo attacks in the past nine years (the last one in 2021 landed me in the ER due to low blood pressure and heart rate), I’ve travelled the world, met amazing people, and married a wonderful man. Learning new accents with partial deafness is a unique challenge, but I’ve managed.
A Message of Hope
I’m not a victim. I’m a healthy woman who happened to develop a rare disease. Life isn’t fair, but it doesn’t mean we’re cursed. Every story is different, but I hope mine offers a new perspective. Life is unpredictable, but we have the power to choose our reactions. That, honestly, is a precious gift.
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