Mathias failed his auditory brainstem response test and was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. When his family was given his diagnosis, it was the first time they had heard of cochlear implants. Almost instantly they chose Cochlear and now their son has fallen in love with the gift of sound, including the roar of the crowd at football games. Read more:
“Our story probably starts out like most others. We welcomed our sweet little boy, Mathias, into the world in May 2020. Before leaving the hospital, he had his newborn hearing screening. Once the nurse was done, she stated ‘he did not pass, but that’s okay. Newborns usually have fluid in their ears.’ We scheduled further testing and went on our way.
A diagnosis is discovered
Fast forward a month to the ABR (auditory brainstem response) test. Once the audiologist had completed her testing she said, ‘I’m sorry, I am not getting any response. My machine is as loud as it can go.’ And that’s when we found out Mathias has profound hearing loss.
We were referred to a local Children’s Hospital in Ohio to get a confirmation of his diagnosis. This resulted in another ABR test, which showed the same results. She talked about all of our options and that was the first time my husband and I heard about cochlear implants. Right away we knew that’s what we wanted and proceeded in that direction.
Cochlear implant candidacy
After using hearing aids for 6 months, Mathias had an MRI to see if he was a cochlear implant candidate1. Later on, after many doctor visits, it was finally surgery and activation time.
Our audiologist set out all the different types of brands we had to pick from. My husband and I agreed almost instantly that we wanted to choose Cochlear. Cochlear has positive reviews among the other recipients, a beautiful design, along with great accessories. Our favorite accessory right now is the Snugfit. With Mathias being a toddler, it is very tricky to keep his CI’s (cochlear implants) on and the Snugfit does the trick. He currently wears the CochlearTM Nucleus® 7 Sound Processors. Recently he’s learned how to put back on the coil all by himself once it falls off. That act alone shows how much he loves the gift of sound. He has had his cochlear implants for a little over a year now.
The gift of sound and the roar of the crowd
Watching him fall in love with sound is nothing short of amazing. He is a typical boy who loves any car, truck or semi sound there is. Hearing him say Mama and Dad will forever be our favorite. With his dad being a football coach, you will always find us at the stadium on Friday nights. He loves hearing the roar of the crowd along with the band at halftime. Mathias has found a love for music like no other. He is constantly wanting us to turn on the radio so he can dance along to the beat. All thanks to cochlear implants.”
Has your child failed an auditory brainstem response test? Contact Cochlear today to find a solution for your child.
- In the US, the cochlear implant system is intended for use in children 9 to 24 months of age who have bilateral profound sensorineural deafness and demonstrate limited benefit from appropriate binaural hearing aids. Children two years of age or older may demonstrate severe to profound hearing loss bilaterally.
