“I've become much more outgoing and willing to talk to others about microtia, atresia, and hearing solutions.” Will not only lives life to the fullest with his Cochlear™ Baha® 6 Max Sound Processor, he advocates for others with microtia and atresia to seek out the best hearing solutions.
Will was born with bilateral microtia and atresia, a congenital condition where the outer ear is malformed and the ear is missing components, including the ear canal. From the age of 4 months, he wore bone conducting hearing aids to assist with his hearing loss. And at age 12, Will had rib graft surgery to reconstruct his ears. Having gone through that process and enduring surgery, Will looked for hearing solutions that didn’t involve additional major surgeries.
In 2017, Will needed a new hearing aid and the company that had manufactured the sound processor that he was using was no longer producing new hearing solutions. Because of this, Will needed to explore sound processors through different companies. The next year, he attended a conference held by The Microtia and Atresia Clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and was able to learn about the Baha® 5 Sound Processor for the first time. Based on the power of the Baha 5 Sound Processor and the capability to hear sounds that he had not previously heard, Will chose that as his next hearing solution. The brevity of the procedure was an added benefit for Will. He was home and in bed just a few hours after his appointment time.
Will shared with us that on the day of his activation, when he returned home, he was surprised to hear sounds that he could not previously. Living in a rowhome in Baltimore, Maryland, he became aware of neighbors bounding up and down their stairs. His wife at the time assured him that she had always heard the neighbors. Will also heard water running and believed they had a leak in the bathroom, only to find out that it was the water flowing through the radiator pipes. Noises that were so common in his home, he was hearing for the first time with his Baha 5 Sound Processor.
One of his favorite hobbies is travel, specifically to Nashville and Las Vegas. He used to remove his hearing aids in the bars and casinos he would visit because he couldn’t engage in conversation with the loud background noise and music. The first time he visited a casino post-activation, Will said, “Wow! I don’t have to take my hearing aid off to focus anymore.” Since that time, Will has upgraded to the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor and appreciates even greater hearing. To learn more about upgrading, visit Why You Should Upgrade Your Baha® Sound Processor | Cochlear.
To do this, Will uses his Baha 6 Smart App1
to switch between preset programs, depending on his environment. Being able to access this directly from his compatible2 smartphone makes traveling and socializing easier and more comfortable. Another tool that Will loves is the Mini Microphone 2+. This allows Will to give the small microphone to someone and hear more carefully at a distance, through his sound processor. He jokes with his friends that he should leave the mic with them when he goes on dates, so they can feed him lines!
“For me, Baha technology has been life changing! Talking openly about my ears and hearing aid was something I used to avoid. It’s such a small device and I don’t think it stands out as much as my old hearing aid. I’ve become much more outgoing and willing to talk to others about microtia, atresia, and hearing solutions. I’m bald and when it came to picking the color of my Baha 6 Max [Sound Processor], I was bold enough to pick black so it would stand out and people would ask me about it.”
Will’s story is a reminder of the importance of finding a solution that truly allows you to live. From confidence to convenience to conversation, Will is engaged in the world around him, sharing his story and living proudly with microtia and atresia. His message that he wants to share is that nobody should ever just “get by.” You are deserving of so much more than that.
Are you interested in learning more about the latest technology with the Baha 6 Max Sound Processor? Find out more here.
To learn more about Will and his story, visit our Baha 6 Max YouTube playlist below.
- The Cochlear Baha® Smart App is available on App Store and Google Play. For compatibility information, visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility.
- For complete smartphone compatibility information, please visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility
