A perforated ear drum made Vanessa’s adolescence challenging, having to endure surgeries and even resulting in hearing loss. She was eventually identified as a candidate for the Cochlear™ Osia® System, which she hoped would improve her quality of life. Now, an Army veteran, she has been crowned Miss Washington and has become an advocate for young children with hearing loss. Read her story below:
“At the age of 17, during my senior year of high school, I developed a perforated eardrum (basically a hole in my eardrum). Post-graduation I had my first ear surgery to try and close the perforation, but this surgery did not work. I then went on to have my second ear surgery to try and close this perforation and it ended up working, temporarily. This surgery worked long enough to get me a hearing waiver into the United States Army where I enlisted for four years as an active-duty human resources specialist.
After completing basic combat training and advanced individual training for the Army, I was fortunate to be stationed in my home state on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Washington. Six months into being in the Army I was told to go see the ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT) as my hearing was declining. From this visit, I was told that not only was my ear drum perforated again but I had something called a cholesteatoma, which is essentially a collection of dead skin cells that eats through your ear.
Discovering the best hearing solution
My family and I opted for a third ear surgery, which was eventually unsuccessful. I continued to have surgery after surgery to remove the cholesteatoma and close the perforation. After my fourth ear surgery I was given a hearing aid but because of the damage inside my ear, the hearing aid itself caused more pain than anything. It wasn’t until my seventh ear surgery that the entirety of the cholesteatoma and the perforation were successfully closed. Through each surgery my hearing continued to decline.
This is when I was advised that I was a candidate for a different type of hearing solution called the Cochlear Osia System. The Osia System with the Osia Sound Processor12made more sense to me in the long run, and I knew it would improve my quality of life. While I was slightly nervous about the implant, I knew that I was able to overcome a lot of challenges throughout the years with surgery after surgery and the reward of improved quality of life was going to help change my life for the better.
I have now had my Osia Sound Processor for four months and these last few months have been quite an adjustment, but I have never felt so happy to have the opportunity to have the ability to hear ‘normally,’ with my Osia Sound Processor!
Life with an Osia Sound Processor
Since receiving my implant, I competed on the Miss America stage as Miss Washington and have become a veteran in the Army!
My journey in the military was so extremely unique, having ear surgery every six months often made me miss the mundane pieces of everyday life in the military. Since winning the title of Miss Washington in July 2023, I have been working as an advocate for those with hearing loss; I was able to donate over 100 hearing aid Barbies’™ to deaf and hard of hearing children all throughout southwest Washington and talk about overcoming the trials and tribulations we may face in life.
My goal is to be able to encourage others to embrace who they are, not for their circumstances but for who they are. This has been extremely special to me, and I have found that it has even built my confidence in doing so. After accomplishing my lifelong goal of competing at Miss America and becoming a veteran, I am now set to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in business management, and plan to start a master’s degree in business administration come this fall. I feel very lucky to have accomplished my wildest dreams at 23 and right now my biggest goal is to establish myself in this very new chapter of life.”
If you are experiencing challenges in your daily life due to hearing loss, learn about the Osia System today!
Vanessa was recently featured on a local news station as well, and shared her story. Watch that video here!
3 4 5- In the United States and Canada, the Osia System is indicated for children ages five and older. Patients should have sufficient bone quality and quantity to support successful implant placement. Surgery is required to use this product. Any surgical procedure carries risk.
- In the United States and Canada, the placement of a bone-anchored implant is contraindicated in children below the age of 5.
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