Cochlear is fortunate to have been able to interview Fiona, a music loving ballerina, who after a bilateral hearing loss diagnosis, received a cochlear implant. Her resilient journey both personally and professionally has helped her develop a promising career as a dancer and instructor. Join us as we learn more about Fiona’s experiences and triumphs below:
Can you share with us how you lost your hearing and the journey to your implant?
“My name is Fiona and I am a professional ballet dancer and teacher with a cochlear implant. I was born with full hearing and always passed all my yearly hearing tests with flying colors. When I was 12, I noticed in school I would have a lot of trouble hearing my teachers if they were far away. I would not be able to hear my parents call for me from downstairs at home. I slowly began realizing something may be wrong. I went to my parents about it and we scheduled an appointment with a hearing specialist.
At the hearing specialist, they gave me tests in a booth I was not accustomed to. They would cover their mouth when asking me to repeat words back to them so I could not read their lips. I was not able to see their hands push the buttons to cue the beeps that I was told to recognize. This was extremely frustrating to me, and I realized I had unintentionally been cheating all my other hearing tests.
Afterward, I was told I had bilateral progressive hearing loss and had already lost about 60 percent of my hearing in my left ear and 40 percent in my right. This was shocking news that my hearing loss had already progressed so far without my knowledge. I had all the tests in the book done to try to figure out the cause of the hearing loss. The doctors could not determine anything further than nerve damage as the cause.
It is frustrating to not understand why I suddenly lost half of my hearing. I was given hearing aids.
A few years later in 2019, my left ear suddenly lost a significant amount of hearing. This was very devastating, as I was afraid my hearing was going to go away completely. I started learning American Sign Language (ASL) and preparing myself to be completely Deaf.”
Why did you decide on Cochlear as your brand for your hearing implant? Was it the technology, customer service, reputation – anything specific that impacted your decision?
“My audiologist then told me about cochlear implants. After finding out I was a candidate for my left ear, I decided to give it a shot. Cochlear was the brand that was suggested to me.”
What was the moment/reason you decided to move forward with a cochlear implant? Was there an opportunity or life event that you had missed out on or that was upcoming that made you decide to move forward?
“I was raised in a house that always had music on. My parents constantly had something playing in the house – classical, pop, jazz or world music, you name it.
Music is what brings me the most joy in life – especially being a ballet dancer. It was very heartbreaking for music to grow quiet for me. I was desperate for a solution so that I would be able to hear all parts of music again. Especially as I was training to become a professional dancer, it was extremely difficult for me in the work setting to not be able to hear and understand the music as well as my coaches and peers.”
Can you explain what it has been like for you living with a hearing implant. What benefits are you seeing, and are there any key accessories you use?
“My hearing implant has changed my life. Getting a cochlear implant is a big change, and it takes some time to get used to, but the benefits are so worth it. I can sometimes hear people now when they are not looking at me, and when someone calls for me from another room.
When I teach children ballet class, I can hear their questions without having to walk up to them and get closer to understand what they are saying. At work, I can hear my rehearsal directors from the front of the room now, too.
I briefly tried the Cochlear™ Kanso® 2 Sound Processor and I really loved it. I liked not having anything on the back of my ear. I ended up switching back to my Cochlear Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor as a behind-the-ear option because my audiologist was able to add an acoustic component1 that goes in my ear to the processor. This was really exciting because it meant my surgeon was able to preserve some of my natural hearing in my left ear during the surgery, which I was told was an unlikely outcome.
I use the Bluetooth® on my sound processor constantly. It is always connected to my phone2 during the day. It is amazing! I can hear when someone calls me, I can listen to music and hear any audio through my phone straight in my sound processor. This has honestly been my favorite benefit because something as simple as calling the doctor’s office to make an appointment used to stress me out. Now it is completely stress free. The audio quality from the Bluetooth connection is amazing.”
What are some of your key hobbies/work achievements/extracurricular activities? How does your hearing implant play a role in that activity/your success?
“My biggest accomplishment so far is securing an artist contract with Diablo Ballet in Walnut Creek, CA. I am in my second season with them now through May. I also teach ballet classes for Diablo Ballet School, Oakland Ballet School and a few other studios in the Bay Area. My cochlear implant has helped immensely with my teaching because it is very important for me to be able to hear the kids’ questions and be able to teach them how to count music.”
What’s next for you? What would you say are your future goals?
“I would like to continue to dance professionally and grow my teaching career on the side. I am an aspiring choreographer and have made many new works on dancers over the years. I hope to find more opportunities for me to grow that aspect of my career!”
Fiona was recently featured in Women’s Health magazine, where she shares her journey as a cochlear implant athlete.
If you have been diagnosed with hearing loss, and are interested in learning if you may be a candidate for a cochlear implant, learn about these solutions here.
3 4- The Acoustic Component should only be used when behavioral audiometric thresholds can be obtained and the recipient can provide feedback regarding sound quality.
- For a full list of smartphone and app compatible devices, visit: www.cochlear.com/compatibility.
- 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.
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