For an unexplained reason, Leonie Mardling began to lose her hearing during pregnancy and over time she became profoundly deaf.

The 51-year-old nurse considers herself the luckiest person in the world after regaining 98 per cent of her hearing after receiving two cochlear implants. 

Encouraging others to follow in her footsteps, Ms Mardling’s words follow Cochlear Australia’s new initiative, launched this year. The campaign reports an alarming number of Australians remain isolated due to treatable hearing loss. 

Lip-reading and signing for years, Ms Mardling said the difference the implants made were amazing, allowing her to study at university and advance her career. 

“It’s been a wonderful journey,” Ms Marding said. “It’s changed my whole life – I wouldn’t be without them.”

Having lived with a hearing aid that provided merely seven per cent sound reception in her left ear and 17 per cent in her right for more than 12 years, she said the change the surgery made was indescribable.

“You don’t realise how deaf you are,” Ms Mardling said. “I think some people don’t think they’re that deaf but once you get an implant you realise how great it is and how beneficial it can be.”

The film Does Love Last Forever? is a campaign in disguise, according to Cochlear Australia. It was purposely created with two different endings and follows the relationship of a couple before asking audiences whether love lasted.

If the watcher’s perception of sound is good, the story ended well and if the love didn’t last the distance, they need to have their hearing checked.

Audiologist and speech pathologist Emma Ramsay said two myths often prevented those suffering having their hearing tested. 

“There’s a huge amount of people with hearing loss,” Ms Ramsay said. “They feel as though there’s nothing that can be done to help or that it will be too expensive.”

She said a lot of people spent time in denial and often took more than six years to address the problem. 

“There’s a lot of services and technology out there that can really help,” she said. “The film itself is just raising awareness about hearing loss ... We’re trying to encourage people to check their hearing as part of an annual check up.”

Ms Ramsay said results of the implants were outstanding for the right candidates.