Driving home from work one day, Eileen’s entire life changed in an instant due to a car accident. An accident caused by others texting and driving – a moment of distraction, led her to instant and permanent hearing loss in her left ear. After a long journey of tests and specialist appointments, hearing aids to a failed middle-ear implant, she received bilateral cochlear implants. Join Eileen, as she recounts her hearing journey and the impact of modern technology that has helped her continue to hear and communicate with the world:
“Driving home from work, on the main internal motorway on Interstate 15, north bound traffic was stopped ahead from a car accident. Following the prompts from the accident, I came to a complete stop. A car following behind full of 4 young men texting on their phones, didn’t realize the traffic ahead had stopped. They slammed into the back of my car at approximately 45 MPH, crushing my car like an accordion. I slammed my head and left ear into the window glass, causing instant deafness on my left side.
Many tests and specialist appointments
The results and after-effects of the accident (and associated deafness in my left ear) required me to schedule and attend many test and specialist appointments including:
- Chiropractic appointments – which would eventually lead to a brain bruise.
- My right ear could hear and communicate using a hearing aid but experienced constant ringing causing many sleepless nights.
- MRI testing
- Spinal tap testing for meningitis
- Testing for a stroke, for Multiple sclerosis (MS), thankfully those results were negative.
- I was fitted for hearing aids
- I used one hearing aid on my right ear successfully for approximately four years. Bluetooth® connectivity enabled me to communicate by phone etc.
At the time, I was seeing a specialty doctor that treated all ear, nose and throat related conditions; he specialized in ear and skull-based surgeries and is the Director of the Cochlear Implant program at his hospital.
For quite some time, I was against a cochlear implant, mostly because of comments from two deaf employees I worked with; very negative comments as to why no one should ever have a cochlear implant.
Approximately six years later, in May 2016, I retired to bed and when I woke up the following day, I woke up 100 percent deaf with no hearing in either ear.
Finding a hearing solution that would work for me
After that fateful day, a message was left with my doctor notifying him of my sudden deafness. My spouse explained to him what happened with my hearing loss; we were advised that my hearing doctor was no longer there, but it was arranged for me to visit Utah State University, in Logan, Utah, the following day with a different physician who was known to coordinate with him on cochlear implants.
I was asked to complete yet another hearing test and for the first time ever, I cried because I heard nothing. That’s what both doctors expected, as now I was identified as a perfect candidate for a cochlear implant.
Surgery was performed to remove a previous middle ear implant that I had tried and failed, and it was replaced with bilateral cochlear implants from Cochlear. This was the turning point in my hearing, to that point I couldn’t hear anything, and I was looking forward to hearing and communicating with the public.
My family helped record and share my cochlear implant activation in a video that you can watch below:
What has is been like living with a hearing implant?
I love music and after receiving my cochlear implants, the first thing I wanted to use was Pandora®, I listened to it every hour utilizing the Cochlear™ Kanso® Sound Processor, and the Bluetooth through my phone1. It successfully increased my level of hearing, made apparent on my next visit with Dr. Pitts – my hearing level exceeded the expected results during testing!
My Kanso Sound Processor worked incredibly well for me, so that I can communicate successfully without having to read captioning or lips.
When I was suffering with complete silence, I decided to write and publish a book named SILENCE, explaining my experience with deafness and why it’s important to not text and drive. This is something I share during all of my book shows, while sitting in a wheelchair, I remove my sound processors, to demonstrate how well they work and what the impact of texting and driving can be.”
Eileen’s book SILENCE can be found by clicking this link, where you may view or purchase the book.
If you or a loved one are experiencing the silence of hearing loss, cochlear implants may be a solution for you! Learn more here.
2 3- 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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