When Adrian was 4 years old, her family was told that she was diagnosed with bilateral conductive hearing loss. They later realized this was the reason she was becoming shy and withdrawn. Despite speech therapy, Adrian didn’t see much progress until she was fitted with a bone conduction hearing solution. This started her journey to better hearing, ultimately leading her family to the Cochlear™ Osia® System. Learn more about Adrian and how music and the piano have become her passion:
“We found out that Adrian has hearing loss when she was about to turn 4 years old. She has bilateral conductive hearing loss with her right as severe and her left as moderate. Having hearing loss caused her speech to be delayed and hard to understand. Even with speech therapy, we did not see much improvement in her speech because she could not reproduce sounds that she herself could not hear properly.
She often felt discouraged and frustrated because she could not understand the world around her and vice versa, the people around her were unable to understand what she was saying. I could see that she was becoming increasingly shy and withdrawn.
A hearing birthday from a new hearing solution
After consulting with an audiologist at a hospital in San Diego, Adrian was fitted with her first hearing solution, the Cochlear™ Baha® Start, a nonsurgical solution, in March 2020. While the device had its limitations, it was Adrian’s first step into hearing the world and we still celebrate that day every year as her ‘hearing birthday.’
The Baha Sound Processor was kept in place by a Baha Softband that she wore around her head. Since the location of the sound processor was dependent on the Softband keeping it in place, at times it could be a challenge to place the device in the correct spot. Adrian is a very independent girl and likes to do things on her own. It was very frustrating for her that she could not put the sound processor on herself because of how particular the placement of the device had to be and a lot of time it became a guessing game on whether or not it was placed on her head correctly.
We knew that eventually we wanted to take the implant route. However, at the time, Adrian was not yet old enough1 to be eligible for the surgery to get the Cochlear Osia System. We trudged along with her Baha Start solution for two years until we met with the hospital’s director of the hearing aid and cochlear implant program. She explained at length about a clinical trial that was being conducted by Cochlear for the Osia System to get Food and Drug Administration approval on lowering the eligibility age range to include 5 to 12-year-olds and how Adrian would be an excellent candidate for the trial.
With the information we were given and our trust in the hospital and its medical staff, we decided to take the leap and enroll Adrian in the clinical trial to get a bone conduction implant for her right ear, since that ear was more impacted. With this decision, we hoped to give Adrian early access to technological advancements and better hearing quality and also help contribute to medical progress for other children and families afflicted by hearing loss.
The Osia System, designed to help children hear their best
In March 2022, Adrian received her Osia Implant surgery. The surgery was an outpatient procedure and we were discharged the same day. The recovery went well and without any complications. Adrian noticed a change in her hearing almost instantly after she was fitted with the Osia Sound Processor. She loved the ability to independently put on the device with ease.
It was very nice to know that when her Osia Sound Processor was put on, it will stay in place. She is able to do the activities she wants to do without worrying that her hearing aid will need readjusting. The sound quality of the Osia Sound Processor was significantly better than her Baha Sound Processor and she experienced much less feedback.
Her speech improved leaps and bounds within months of having the Osia Sound Processor and she began to come out of her shell. Adrian was able to make friends and connect with them in a way she wasn’t able to before. It was such a joy to watch her blossom.
We loved our experience with the Osia System so much that we decided that we wanted her to get another implant for her left ear in June 2023. Since then, Adrian has reached some major speech milestones that had previously been a struggle for her for her to reach. The Osia System also made it much easier for her to connect2 to her school devices, such as iPads and Chromebooks™, using Bluetooth® connectivity so she can hear them directly in her sound processor. We even traveled to Asia and Europe with her Osia Sound Processors and had zero issues. Adrian got to experience new places, cultures, see all the sights, and HEAR the sounds!
The impact of the Osia System on Adrian’s life
Adrian is very curious and loves to try new things. Her interests include cooking, baking, hiking, reading, arts and crafts, taking care of animals, she even took a snowboarding class! Adrian’s grandmother has a piano in her home and ever since Adrian was a toddler, she loved banging on the keys and we could tell that she was very interested in the piano. With her hearing loss diagnosis, we feared that learning piano may not be in the cards for her as it required very fine-tuned ability in recognizing minute differences in tone and pitch.
After she had bilateral Osia Sound Processors, we finally felt comfortable enough to enroll her in piano lessons. Her piano teacher thought that she had lessons previously at another school because she picked everything up so quickly. Piano is now Adrian’s love and joy. She, without being asked or encouraged, practices twice daily and continues to challenge herself to do more difficult pieces.
She performed in her music school’s Christmas recital in 2023 and a spring recital in March of this past year. We also look forward to seeing her perform at the summer send-off recital this year.
The role of her Osia Sound Processors in her musical success cannot be understated. Watching Adrian be able to pursue her interests and become more confident in who she is as a person is everything we could ask for as parents and then some! We are so grateful that the Osia System technology has helped Adrian get to where she is today.”
If your child has experienced hearing loss, or been diagnosed with conductive hearing loss, the Cochlear Osia System may offer them a world of clear and exciting sounds!
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.
- For a full list of smartphone and app compatible devices, visit: www.cochlear.com/compatibility.
- Apple and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
- Android and Chromebook are trademarks of Google LLC. The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution License.
- The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Cochlear is under license.
