Meet Mia – A Super Reader with a Super Story!
Eight-year-old Mia is ready to turn pages for a purpose this August in the MS Readathon — and her story is just as inspiring as the books she now loves to read!
Mia was diagnosed with glue ear, a common but often tricky condition that caused her to lose a significant amount of hearing from the age of 3 to 7. Because glue ear builds up slowly and doesn’t always cause pain, it often goes unnoticed — and in Mia’s case, it quietly affected her ability to hear speech, especially in noisy classrooms.
Then Covid hit. With masks hiding mouths and muffling voices, Mia could no longer rely on lip reading — something she had unknowingly come to depend on. School became a real struggle, and she fell far behind, not because she wasn’t trying, but because she literally couldn’t hear what was going on around her.
It wasn’t until late 2024, after years of setbacks and confusion, that Mia finally had grommet surgery — and the world came alive again! Sounds were sharper, speech was clearer, and books began to make sense. Her teachers saw an incredible transformation, and most importantly, Mia discovered a love of reading that had been waiting to bloom all along!
These days, Mia’s nose is always in a book — especially anything from her favourite series, Dog Man. She dreams of writing her own story one day, and with the determination she’s shown, we know she absolutely will!
When she’s not reading, Mia loves hanging out with her pets Hera the dog and Dragon the cat , listening to Taylor Swift, riding horses, camping under the stars , and making her baby brother (7 months old!) giggle like crazy.
This August, Mia is taking part in the MS Readathon to raise money for Australians living with multiple sclerosis — and she’d love your support! Every donation helps fund life-changing support services and research for people living with MS.
Help Mia turn the page on her own story of struggle and resilience — and help her make a difference in someone else's. Please donate if you can!
#GoMia #MSReadathon #FromHearingLossToBookBoss #BooksWithHeart