My Third Ear Anniversary

Three years ago I had my left ear implanted.  I could not have looked into a crystal ball and envisioned just how profoundly cochlear implants would change my life.  I had my right ear implanted 15 months after the first one.

Yesterday I attended the retirement of a family friend and her husband - the couple were retiring after 34 years of military service. It took place at a location unaffected by the Federal Government Shutdown.  That was good.

For the past two days we experienced unrelenting, torrential rain accompanied by wind - poor visibility and lots of accidents all over the metropolitan area.  What saved me - was my Magellan Roadmate portable GPS.  I have a poor sense of direction, especially during weather with poor visibility.  Cochlear Implants allow me to understand and hear the directions on the GPS.  I also can hear the alerts as I am prompted to make my turn by turn instructions.  There were a few mistakes as I attempted to locate the hotel.  I made it, and a good time was had by all.

Earlier in the week, I returned to the Cochlear Clinic for new software mapping. This software mapping has helped with speech discrimination and increased battery life. So far, so good!  I return to  the Cochlear Clinic in a year.

The week before that, I was on the West Coast attending mentorship training which my cochlear implant company paid for.  It was invaluable, the training, the tour of the manufacturing floor, talking with the staff, the audiologists, and finally meeting face to face, some members of my cochlear implanted community.  My cochlear implant company launched a new BTE CI Processor late this summer called the Naida with wireless connectivity.  The technological advances are awesome!

There were lots of stories, laughter, tears and sharing of what we call "WOW"! moments.  I loved seeing the commitment, the vision, the passion this company demonstrated for cochlear implants and the miracle of hearing technology that can be offered to deaf people.

As I grew up deaf in a hearing world, Deaf Culture was not a part of my life.  I went to deaf schools quite young, and was mainstreamed into schools with hearing peers by second grade.

You hear comments about "finding one's tribe."  I never understood the clannishness experienced among Deaf people who grew up in Deaf Culture with deaf neighbors, families, children, a hearing community who communicated with Deaf people in American Sign Language (ASL).

Well.  In my cochlear-implanted community, or the cyborgs as we call ourselves, I have found my "tribe."  We know and share our experiences in hearing with cochlear implants.  We offer hope, encouragement and cheer each other on.  We crack jokes and tell each other stories about how people react to cochlear implants.  One priceless story was told by two women who had traveled together on the airplane.  They had told the airline they were deaf.  At their destination, they were greeted by airport personnel with two wheelchairs!!!  These women were not mobility impaired but DEAF!
We all got a good laugh out of that one!  These women were quite young and not at all senior!

My cyborg community is my tribe and my extended family.  They are my rock.

As 24 year old Jacob Landis put it, "The world is wide open to me because of cochlear implants."

I wholeheartedly agree.  I am still a deaf person who hears with bilateral cochlear implants, but oh, wow! what an amazing three years it has been!

Here's a heartfelt thanks to my surgeon, who is now based on the West Coast.  Thank you for my miracle of hearing with cochlear implants.  I never will get tired of saying thank you to this talented, humble, world famous doctor.

Hearing with bilateral cochlear implants is such a joy, a blessing and a wonder of technology.  I am blessed!