With early detection of her daughter’s severe-to-profound hearing loss, Amy D., mother to Ava, made the decision to get her daughter bilateral cochlear implants. With the help of her cochlear implants and weekly auditory-verbal therapy, Ava has become a chatty, smart and athletic child today. Read how the gift of hearing changed Ava’s life:
“My youngest daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with a severe-to-profound hearing loss at 2 months of age. Her audiologist referred her to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children’s Cochlear Implant Program where we learned about cochlear implants and how she could benefit from them.
Later on, Ava received bilateral Cochlear Implants and was activated with the Nucleus® 5 Sound Processors. At the time, the hospital only implanted Cochlear brand cochlear implants so, in a way, we were relieved to not have to stress about choosing a brand. I already knew that Cochlear was a leader in the industry and trusted the brand completely, so we were comfortable with this decision.
Watching my daughter hear her first word & flourish
Ava blossomed almost immediately at her cochlear implant activation. She started localizing sound within a week of activation and spoke her first word, ‘hi,’ at one-month post activation.
Ava graduated from weekly auditory-verbal therapy with flying colors, having scored in the 88th percentile for expressive language and 97th percentile for receptive language. By age 2 ½, Ava already had surpassed the language skills of a three-year-old hearing child. She was more than ready for mainstream school, which was our ultimate goal for her!
Flourishing in school and athletics today
Ava is now 9 years old and in fourth grade. She maintains an A average in school and continues to be a top reader in her class.
She is a very active girl and currently plays soccer three times a week and swims in a competitive swim program twice a week. She recently cleaned up at her swim meet, placing first in all her heats! Currently, Ava wears the Nucleus Aqua+* in the pool so that she can hear her coach and participate in the swim lessons and meets.
In the past, Ava has taken dance lessons and gymnastics and has never had an issue with securing her processors to her hair using hair clips.
For the past two years, Ava has even been attending overnight summer camp. Since the age of 8, Ava has cared for her sound processors and sets up the Aqua+ on her own. She is very independent and a fantastic advocate for herself wherever she goes.
The #giftofhearing allows @CochlearUS Ava to lead a mainstreamed, athletic life todayClick To TweetExcited to upgrade to the newest technology
We are especially excited for Ava’s upcoming upgrade to the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, as she will be able to use the CochlearTM True WirelessTM Mini Microphone 2+ for her soccer games and swim meets, enhancing her hearing even further.
We are grateful for her cochlear implants every day. You would not even know Ava is deaf, as her speech is perfect. There is no way she would be the confident, chatty and bubbly girl today if it she had not received her incredible gift of hearing. Thank you Cochlear Americas!”
If you’re interested in giving your child with hearing loss the gift of hearing, find more about cochlear implants at IWantYouToHear.com.
* For Cochlear’s latest Nucleus Sound Processors: The Kanso Sound Processor with the Kanso Aqua+ is water resistant to level IP68 of the International Standard IEC60529. This Kanso water protection only applies when used with LR44 alkaline or nickel metal hydride disposable batteries. The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor with Aqua+ is water resistant to level IP68 of the International Standard IEC60529. This Nucleus 7 water protection only applies when you use a Cochlear Standard Rechargeable Battery Module or Cochlear Compact Rechargeable Battery Module.
