Cochlear Implants: Q & A

I have received several emails recently from parents of children newly diagnosed with hearing loss. I love the fact that this blog has allowed us to connect with other families all across the country (well, the world, really) that are going through similar experiences. Some of the questions I have received may be on the [...]

Raise Your Hand!

Everyday in the US, approximately 1 in 1,000 newborns is born profoundly deaf, with another 2-3 of 1,000 babies born with partial hearing loss. While pregnant with Drew I worried about so many things, but not once did I ever worry about him being able to hear. Little did I know that it is the [...]

Bluetooth Headset or Cochlear Implant?

For the past few years Bluetooth headsets have become more and more popular. They allow people to talk through their cell phone without holding it in their hand, and without frustrating wires getting in the way. This is because the mic rests on the user’s ear and transmits wirelessly to the phone.

Some people think that [...]

Communicating with Drew

It’s hard to believe that Drew is over six months old! These months have just flown by, partly because every day and week is consumed with appointments for Drew. I was encouraged this week when talking with the mother of an implanted four year old. She told me that her life is back to normal [...]

Drew Heard Something!

Today we had our monthly parent education meeting through the Regional Infant Hearing Program here in Columbus. I should say bi-monthly in this case, since we were snowed in for our February meeting! Our parent educator had not seen Drew since January, so I think she was really excited to see how much he has [...]

One Step Closer

We were in Cincinnati today for another round of appointments and are now one step closer to having Drew receive his cochlear implants. Today’s appointments included a CI consult for Drew with Dr. Daniel Choo and follow up on the genetic testing results.
On the CI front, Drew is moving toward candidacy. Dr. Choo is confidant [...]

Baby Steps

We have doing activities with Drew on a daily basis to stimulate communication and to see if he is able to detect even the loudest of sounds with his hearing aids. We are enrolled in a monthly parent education program through the Columbus Hearing Impaired Program that gives us specific activities that can help stimulate [...]

Standing Still

We have made a lot of important decisions. Drew now has hearing aids that are showing no signs of helping him hear even the loudest of noises. I feel like we are standing still, simply waiting for enough time to pass so that he can have implant surgery. We have done and learned so much [...]

Deaf and Proud to Use Sign Language – Link

This ABC News article discusses the debate between living life as deaf or with diminished hearing, or having technological assistance through the use of hearing aids or a cochelar implant.
One of the first things my wife and I noticed when learning about Drew’s options was that many of the professionals we saw “danced around” certain [...]

Drew Has Hearing Aids!

Drew received his hearing aids this week (picture to the left). Through the Columbus Hearing Impaired Program we were able to obtain free loaner hearing aids. This is quite a financial relief, since the hearing aids for his degree of loss can cost up to $7000. We will only be using them until he has [...]