Girl's football kit hearing aid is dream come true

Ten-year-old Milly had a special Christmas wish - to get her cochlear implant branded with stickers of her favourite club, AFC Portchester.

She is profoundly deaf but is passionate about football and plays for the club's U12s Pearls girls team.

Her mum Catherine says she is "so grateful" to family-fun business HEAROES who created the stickers to go on Milly's hearing device and thus "make little girls' dreams come true".

Since the branding, Milly has scored five goals for the Pearls and the club's vice chairman Graeme Moir said her story was a "massive part of the club in terms of ladies' and girls' football".

Catherine was not always keen on her daughter playing football.

"If she takes a hit to the head, she could end up in hospital," she said.

"Her internal device could move and she could end up having to have operations, so it took a lot for me to let Milly do it."

But Milly had picked it up from her brother and her teachers said she had got "a real talent".

She has now been playing for AFC Portchester's Pearls for over a year.

Catherine said Milly had failed her hearing screening as a baby and after tests by Portsmouth charity , The Elizabeth Foundation For Deaf Children, the family were told she had moderate to severe hearing loss.

"That gradually got worse over the years and then when she was four and a half, she'd become profoundly deaf," Catherine said, adding they had to give her cochlear implants.

Despite her hearing loss, Milly says she "feels like I'm safe with the team and I play really good".

"It's because my friends are there and also John's a really good manager," she added.

Catherine said the team was adapted for her daughter - for example, she is not allowed in the box.

But she still scores and on her first outing with the branded implant, Milly contributed to her team's victory with four goals.

Milly now considers the branded device "a lucky charm".

"I was really happy and makes me feel grateful," she said.

Catherine said HEAROES, which provide skins and accessories for hearing equipment, "really helped to do this for her".

"We've got them in orange and we've got a black pen and she's got an away kit which is blue, so I'm going to get them in the blue as well," Catherine said.

"I'm so grateful that they can make little girls' dreams come true because you don't expect people to be that helpful, really."

Moir describes AFC Portchester as a large community club with about 40 teams, ranging from adult men's and ladies' teams.

"I know Millie's got favourite players in the men's and ladies' teams.

He said the Facebook post about Milly has been viewed by 70,000 people.

"We're just going through the processes of hopefully installing a 3G pitch this summer.

"...what we're going to be doing is looking to expand a number of teams at ladies' and girls' level, and we're going to be doing things like women only sessions in an evening.

"Millie's story ... is just a massive part of the club in terms of ladies' and girls' football and it's growing all the time."

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