Author: Jesse Griego

RESULTS
Where is she now? Revisiting life with Kay 14 years after her hearing loss from addiction

Where is she now? Revisiting life with Kay 14 years after her hearing loss from addiction

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Renowned motivational speaker and author Chekesha “Kay” Ellis confronted a life-altering experience 14 years ago when she lost her hearing due to an opioid addiction. Since then, she has fearlessly shared her compelling journey of recovery and the profound impact of the Cochlear™ Kanso® Sound Processor. Through her unwavering determination, Ellis has not only transformed … Continued

Mia’s cochlear implant empowered her after bilateral profound deafness diagnosis

Mia’s cochlear implant empowered her after bilateral profound deafness diagnosis

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“My name is Mia and I was born with bilateral profound deafness. In the 1990s, hearing tests were not a standard part of the newborn screening, so my deafness went undiagnosed until I was 15 months old (after seeing multiple doctors). After much thought and consideration by my parents, it was decided that I would … Continued

Acknowledging the Signs: How Parents Detected Early Signs of Hearing Loss in their Children

Acknowledging the Signs: How Parents Detected Early Signs of Hearing Loss in their Children

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“Almost two years ago, our worlds were forever changed. My husband, Matt and I, were busy planning our soon to be three-year-old daughter’s birthday party at a local waterpark. We watched her jump and cheer, as her face was full of joy knowing her special day was coming up. She danced in a circle smiling … Continued

Cochlear Volunteers Find Love Through Mentorship

Cochlear Volunteers Find Love Through Mentorship

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A cherished hobby slips away When asked about his values growing up, Mike, a Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 recipient, answered simply. “Kindness, fairness, family, friends.” Mike grew up surrounded by family and noted that the excitement of a big household brought love and fun to his life. Connection is one of the most important things to … Continued

Best of both worlds – How cochlear implants helped Morgan be part of the Deaf community and hearing community

Best of both worlds – How cochlear implants helped Morgan be part of the Deaf community and hearing community

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The I Love You’s That Fused My Two Halves “Akin to individuals of complex identities, I struggled between two worlds, two languages, two lifestyles and two desires. There were two entirely different lives that never fused, two parts of a whole; two parts of me that I struggled to balance and embrace. Until those two … Continued

A cochlear implant was approved as an option for Parker’s single-sided deafness; his device now helps him excel in school

A cochlear implant was approved as an option for Parker’s single-sided deafness; his device now helps him excel in school

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“Parker was born at Camp Pendleton, in California. We are a military family as his father serves active duty in the United States Marine Corp. Parker was born as a healthy baby; however, he failed his newborn screening test in his left ear. He was retested several times during his infancy, and we realized that … Continued

What is the difference between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss?

What is the difference between conductive and sensorineural hearing loss?

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Understanding conductive versus sensorineural hearing loss: Conductive Hearing Loss: occurs when there is damage to the middle or outer ear that blocks sound transmission reaching the cochlea. Common causes include ear infections, cholesteatoma, draining ears, earwax blockages, or structural problems in these areas. Sensorineural Hearing Loss: occurs when the inner ear (cochlea) or auditory nerve … Continued

Bacterial meningitis caused Matthew’s deafness; now with cochlear implants, he is developing a successful media career

Bacterial meningitis caused Matthew’s deafness; now with cochlear implants, he is developing a successful media career

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Can you tell us how you lost your hearing and the journey to your implant? “January 27, 1999, I was a typical 2½ year old playing with my favorite toy airplane. January 28, the next day, I was deaf. I had contracted bacterial meningitis that left me with a diagnosis of profound bilateral hearing loss … Continued

Woman with Waardenburg syndrome gets cochlear implants and excels as a physical therapist

Woman with Waardenburg syndrome gets cochlear implants and excels as a physical therapist

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“I was born with Waardenburg syndrome, which caused congenital hearing loss for me. I was diagnosed with hearing loss at 6 weeks of age and began to wear hearing aids shortly after. This was in the days before hearing screening were routine for infants and my parents fought to have my hearing tested. The nurses … Continued

Shelby’s Journey to Hearing Clarity: Embracing the Cochlear Osia System

Shelby’s Journey to Hearing Clarity: Embracing the Cochlear Osia System

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“My journey has been a unique one, as I navigate between the hearing and non-hearing worlds. I want to share my ‘new’ story of living with a hearing implant and how it has transformed my life. The Early Years My hearing loss journey began early in life. I was a late talker and resorted to … Continued

After 50 years living with hearing loss, Donna Sue received a Baha System for SSD and can now spend her retirement volunteering

After 50 years living with hearing loss, Donna Sue received a Baha System for SSD and can now spend her retirement volunteering

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“Arriving at what some would call retirement age or beyond, I decided to not retire but just change directions instead. It’s a lot busier than I ever expected and I do miss some parts of the so-called working world, but thanks to my Baha 6 Max Sound Processor on one side of my head and … Continued

After delayed development from hearing loss, Alina received cochlear implants. Now she uses them to excel in science

After delayed development from hearing loss, Alina received cochlear implants. Now she uses them to excel in science

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“When Alina was first born, she was the perfect baby. She could sleep through anything and wouldn’t wake up even with the barking of the 4-legged family members (our 2 dogs). As time passed, we noticed that she was not meeting some of her development milestones.  A diagnosis helps us understand her delayed development Shortly … Continued

Hearing loss in a toddler can be scary, Theo’s family certainly thought so. He received a cochlear implant and now enjoys listening to music.

Hearing loss in a toddler can be scary, Theo’s family certainly thought so. He received a cochlear implant and now enjoys listening to music.

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“When Theo was born, we learned that he failed his newborn hearing screening on the left side. Six weeks later, we went to a follow-up to confirm he did ‘refer’ and we did the auditory brainstem response test (ABR) at 2 months old. Our fears were confirmed that he had a sensorineural hearing loss in … Continued

Tiffany, author and cochlear implant recipient, shares her tips for embracing the gift of sound during the holidays

Tiffany, author and cochlear implant recipient, shares her tips for embracing the gift of sound during the holidays

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“Oh, the gift of sound! Sound, to me, is the spice of life during the holiday season. Conversations with loved ones gathered around the holiday table, holiday music, children laughing, more holiday music and the crackling of a cozy fire. Yes, please! The sounds of the holidays are music to my ears, more now than … Continued

Ally’s Act offers a unique opportunity to support insurance coverage for young children this year for Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day

Ally’s Act offers a unique opportunity to support insurance coverage for young children this year for Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day

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November 9th is Microtia & Atresia Awareness Day, a nationally recognized opportunity to spread awareness about this underrecognized condition. Microtia and atresia are congenital abnormalities of the ear and ear canal, that occur in approximately 1 in 10,000 live births. As a result of these abnormalities, individuals can suffer from conductive hearing loss. Through a … Continued

Hearing loss from Waardenburg syndrome led Britt’s family to cochlear implants, now he loves music and even helped spark a new invention

Hearing loss from Waardenburg syndrome led Britt’s family to cochlear implants, now he loves music and even helped spark a new invention

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“When our son, Britt, was born, we were expecting the normal hospital stay and the sometimes-blissful, often-exhausting first few months of odd sleep schedules, family visits and pediatrician appointments. He was born without any real complications and soon was perfectly happy being cradled, enjoying his bottle, sleeping and crying. The second day of his life, … Continued

Father and son with hereditary hearing loss write children’s book spreading cochlear implant awareness

Father and son with hereditary hearing loss write children’s book spreading cochlear implant awareness

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“This is the story of a proud father and son who are both cochlear implant wearers! I (Mark) was born profoundly deaf. My parents got me fitted for hearing aids when I was around 5 years old. I became an expert at lip reading quickly at a young age and was able to combat the … Continued

Experiencing severe hearing loss from Cystic fibrosis treatment, Samantha’s cochlear implants helped her regain her confidence

Experiencing severe hearing loss from Cystic fibrosis treatment, Samantha’s cochlear implants helped her regain her confidence

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“If you had told me as a young child that this was a piece I would write as a college graduate, I wouldn’t have believed you. I spent nearly 20 years of my life as a hearing person, experiencing everything life had to offer to hear naturally. I was diagnosed with Cystic fibrosis (CF) before … Continued

Rhona turned her hearing loss into a hearing win by finding love and an improved quality of life with cochlear implants

Rhona turned her hearing loss into a hearing win by finding love and an improved quality of life with cochlear implants

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“So much of the communication about hearing is based on loss: missing the sound of music, loss of understanding words, not understanding dialogue on TV or radio, barely understanding someone on the phone and of course, failing hearing tests. I really appreciate that Cochlear™ has a new campaign with the focus on Hearing WINS and … Continued

Kei-Che, an accomplished bilateral recipient, shares how her Hybrid Hearing Solution helps her advocate for accessibility

Kei-Che, an accomplished bilateral recipient, shares how her Hybrid Hearing Solution helps her advocate for accessibility

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How did you lose your hearing? “I was born deaf, with a little ‘d.’ That’s a complex statement because society attempts to define people and place them in boxes. Being born into a hearing family, they believe I was ‘hard of hearing’ because I had minimal residual hearing. Teaching myself to lipread and speech therapy … Continued

Join Us Behind the Scenes at a Video Shoot featuring Recipients as they discuss their Hearing Wins

Join Us Behind the Scenes at a Video Shoot featuring Recipients as they discuss their Hearing Wins

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Rediscovering music and connecting with family For one of our most dedicated volunteers, Mike, starring in a video shoot was a totally new experience. Mike decided to pursue a Cochlear hearing solution after the passing of his beloved wife, whom he referred to as his ‘ears’. “I was well on the way to becoming a … Continued