Through the eyes of a loved one

Music has always played an important part in the life of Meghan and her husband, Sean. So, when they first learned that their son Percy failed his newborn hearing screening, they cried a lot. Meghan says: “We kept talking about all of the things that were important to us, that he might never be able to experience.” So, when they found out that Percy was eligible for a cochlear implant it was clear that was the way they wanted to go. Now Percy is 7 years old, and hears, speaks, and loves to sing. He is learning to play the guitar, the drums, and the piano. Meghan says that they are just so happy to have had the opportunity to give their son the gift of hearing. 

As a young girl Imani lost her hearing, and at the age of nine received her cochlear implant. Her mother clearly remembers initially discovering her daughter’s hearing loss and the appointment at the audiologist back then: Imani was supposed to wiggle a bear when hearing certain sounds. But she never got to wiggle that bear because she couldn’t hear. “That broke my heart,” her mom says. She worried that Imani couldn’t experience all the things a young girl is supposed to. However, Imani would achieve all the things she desired. Today Imani’s mother says: “I appreciate every moment we’ve had and to get moments back through her hearing.”

Jack was first fitted with hearing aids when he retired. “However, over the years his hearing deteriorated to the point where he was no longer able to enjoy many things we took for granted,” tells his wife, Patricia. Even their weekly family dinners became frustrating because he could no longer follow conversations. When Jack became a candidate for a cochlear implant, they regained hope. Patricia remembers the moment after the surgery when his implant activated: “I could see the light in your eyes instantly returned.” With Jack’s restored hearing, their life is much richer. Sometimes Patricia even forgets that he has a hearing loss.