Congenital Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Emily's Story
Emily was born with profound sensorineural hearing loss, which means she wasn’t able to hear any sounds because of a problem with her inner ears. Cochlear implants can be a very effective treatment for this type of hearing loss.
Born With Hearing Loss
After a normal pregnancy, my spouse and I welcomed our newborn daughter into the world. Emily was perfectly healthy. Her newborn hearing screening, which was performed the day she was born, revealed that she might have hearing loss. We were completely unprepared for this news, but told not to worry—not all babies pass this first hearing test.
A Solution for Emily
When Emily was four weeks old, we took her to a paediatric audiologist for more hearing tests. These tests showed that she did in fact have severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. There’s no history of hearing loss in my family or my husband’s, so we were anxious and wondered what the future might hold for our daughter.
Emily was fitted with hearing aids. After wearing them for a few months, she still wasn’t responding to our voices or to any other sounds. At that point, Emily’s audiologist referred her to an ENT doctor, who recommended that she should get cochlear implants.
The Next Step
When Emily was just over one year old, she received two cochlear implants, one in each ear. My husband and I were nervous about having our young daughter go through surgery, but the ENT surgeon reassured us that it was a straightforward procedure and wouldn’t take longer than a few hours. Everything went smoothly. Emily was her smiling self the next day and healed quickly.
Her First Words
Activation day followed several weeks after surgery. It wasn’t long until Emily started babbling. Her first word was “ball”, and she’s learning new words every day. Ever since her processors were activated, she’s been practicing her hearing, listening, and speaking skills with her audiologist and speech therapist. At home we try to apply what she’s learned in these rehabilitation sessions.
It wasn’t long until Emily started babbling. Her first word was “ball”, and she’s learning new words every day.
Going to School and Growing Up
Emily is now in kindergarten. Her teacher gives her a little extra support by minimising noisy distractions in the classroom whenever possible and by making sure her audio processor is connected. Emily continues to work with a speech therapist once a week. The teacher tells us that Emily’s speech and reading skills are just as good as those of her classmates.
Why Emily’s Parents Chose MED-EL
Life of Opportunities
Emily’s parents’ greatest wish is that she’ll grow up with the same opportunities as any other child. With so much focus on technologies that deliver a richer hearing experience—and after speaking with MED-EL recipients—they felt MED-EL was the only option.
No Restrictions
Babies love to move around and Emily’s parents wanted an audio processor that wasn’t going to hold her back. With its water-resistant and tamperproof design, plus comfortable wearing options for children, they felt SONNET 2 would be the perfect match.
For the Future
The thought of surgery on their little girl upset Emily's parents. Making sure surgery did as little harm as possible was at the forefront of their minds. MED-EL's philosophy to protect Emily’s cochlea with soft and gentle electrode arrays helped make their decision.
Compatibility
Choosing a cochlear implant is a lifelong decision. MED-EL makes sure that new audio processors are compatible with older implant generations. This means Emily can easily upgrade to a new audio processor—even years from now—without needing to change her implant.
MRI Safety*
MRI is a common diagnostic tool, so it is very likely Emily will need an MRI in her lifetime. MED-EL’s SYNCHRONY 2 implant offers outstanding MRI safety with no surgery,** no time without hearing, and no discomfort*** —even for a high-resolution 3.0 Tesla MRI.* And her implant is covered by our MRI guarantee.****
These profiles are composites based on real recipients’ experiences. These profiles should not be considered as medical advice or recommendations. These hearing loss profiles are designed to help people better understand the overall hearing journey. Every individual’s hearing is different, so you should speak to your clinician to find out what is best for your needs.
* SYNCHRONY 2 cochlear implant is MR conditional. Recipients with a SYNCHRONY 2 cochlear implant may be safely MRI scanned at 0.2, 1.0, 1.5, and 3.0 Tesla following the conditions detailed in the instructions for use.
** Unless required for diagnostic reasons.
*** SYNCHRONY 2 has a self-aligning magnet, so there’s no painful magnetic pulling on the implant during an MRI scan.
**** The terms and conditions of the MRI Guarantee can be found here.
Cochlear Implant System
Cochlear implants can help restore hearing for children born with severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss. Find out how cochlear implants can help your child enjoy the wonders of hearing.
User Stories
Want to hear about the experiences of real users? Check out our User Stories, and see what life is like with a MED-EL hearing solution.
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