A failed newborn hearing screening led Parker’s military family to seek options to help their son hear. With cochlear implants being now approved for those properly indicated with single-sided deafness, they decided to move forward for their son. With his sound processor and Mini Microphone, he is now excelling in school. Read about his journey below:
“Parker was born at Camp Pendleton, in California. We are a military family as his father serves active duty in the United States Marine Corp. Parker was born as a healthy baby; however, he failed his newborn screening test in his left ear. He was retested several times during his infancy, and we realized that his hearing was impacted on the left side. After several tests, Parker was approved for a hearing aid and began wearing that at 7 months.
Fast forward to age 4, the audiologist (now at UNC Chapel Hill – where we received care) said that the hearing aid did not help Parker hear. Since he has a normal functioning ear it was suggested that he no longer wear the aid. He did not wear any hearing device for approximately a full year. We thought he would have to get along for the rest of his life only able to hear out of one ear.
A single-sided deafness diagnosis
At another checkup at Chapel Hill, it was mentioned that they had begun providing cochlear implants for patients with single-sided deafness (SSD), and Parker may be a candidate. After some back-and-forth talking with our family, the doctors and Tricare®, a cochlear implant was approved, and we decided for Parker to be implanted.
We did our research and thought thoroughly about which brand to go with. The doctors highly recommended Cochlear, and we never looked back. At 5-years-old, Parker went through a 4.5-hour surgery and was implanted with the Cochlear™ Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor, which is a behind-the-ear device. We were also provided with the Kanso® Sound Processor, which is an off-the-ear device. The Nucleus 7 Sound Processor has been AMAZING as Parker is now 9-years-old.
Making the most of this technology
His cochlear implant has helped Parker excel in school AND sports. Many kids ask him about his special ear, he just tells them that he has a robot ear and it helps him to hear. The greatest part of the device (especially at school) is the Bluetooth®1 Mini Microphone. His teacher wears this all day and this ensures that Parker hears and has access to the thousands of words she says throughout the day.
The sound processor also helps him to localize sound and helps with his ear fatigue on the right (normal functioning) side. I have no doubts that his school experience would have been different if he was not implanted.
He is thriving, and I am SO glad we made the decision to move forward with Cochlear. This was a life-changing decision for us and will benefit him for the rest of his life. Thank you Cochlear!”
If you are seeking options for your child that has been diagnosed with single-sided deafness, discover the same technology that helps Parker!
2 3- For a full list of smartphone and app compatible devices, visit: www.cochlear.com/compatibility.
- TRICARE is a registered trademark of the Department of Defense (DoD), DHA. All rights reserved.
- 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.
