After decades with another company’s cochlear implants, Kayla became disappointed when her original internal device slowly failed, and she was left back at square one with her hearing loss. She was skeptical about looking into other companies’ hearing solutions, especially considering her long-time loyalty to the brand she was first implanted with. However, after doing her own research, discussing options with her audiologist and getting help from Cochlear’s team, her choice was clear.
“When I was just six months old, I lost my hearing from an adverse reaction to a bad batch of vaccines. After five years of my family adjusting to a new way of life, I was implanted with a cochlear implant from another company. Though this hearing solution worked for me for almost two decades, the internal device eventually failed, and I could hear very little with my implant.
At this point, I was finally old enough to do my own research, and I quickly discovered Cochlear. I knew it would be a big move, but after considering my options, I made the decision to switch to Cochlear when I was 25 years old. I had my surgery to switch from my old hearing implant company to Cochlear in October of 2019. My local Engagement Manager from Cochlear was incredibly supportive and knowledgeable, and she answered all my questions about Cochlear’s hearing solution options.
After deciding that the Nucleus® 7 Sound Processor and Kanso® Sound Processor combination was right for me, my team and I scheduled the surgery. Everything went well, but I was even more nervous about turning it on at my four weeks post-surgery appointment. Would I hear better with Cochlear? Did I make the right decision? Those four weeks felt much longer thanks to all the questions racing through my mind.
Great word recognition with Cochlear
When it was finally my activation day, I didn’t really know what to expect. When my audiologist activated my cochlear implant, my mother tested it by covering her mouth and saying, ‘Repeat after me: carrots, tomatoes and asparagus.’ She thought asparagus was too difficult, but I smiled with joy as I repeated the words back to her. Everyone, including me, looked surprised. Immediately, I felt so relieved and knew I made the right choice by switching to Cochlear. Among other things, I have been very successful with my word recognition and I have Cochlear to thank for that.
Embracing the possibilities
My Nucleus 7 Sound Processor and Kanso Sound Processor have been nothing short of amazing. There are so many accessories, which is awesome, and the ability to stream to my phone1 is my favorite! I use my Nucleus 7 Sound Processor or Kanso Sound Processor along with a wirelessly compatible ReSound hearing aid2, which allows me to use my phone wirelessly and simultaneously to make phone calls, listen to music or to use the True Wireless™ TV Streamer. The first time I streamed to make a phone call, I called my mother. For the first time in my life, she didn’t have to repeat one word or shout into the phone; I couldn’t believe how well I was hearing on the phone. I was also shocked by how much I loved the TV Streamer too, and now I can’t watch TV without it!
Today, I can hear so many small but powerful sounds: my brother’s basketball dribble on the court, splashes in a puddle, the sound of water when I am submerged, swimming and even far away voices. In my work as a nurse, it’s amazing to me that I can hear heartbeats and lung sounds so clearly. I am confident and successful in my job in large part due to my cochlear implant. In addition, I have also found that I localize sound much better since the sounds from my Cochlear sound processor is so clear and crisp. Looking back, I know moving to Cochlear was the right decision for me, and since then it has been nothing short of life changing!”
Are you or a loved one considering making the switch to Cochlear’s hearing solutions? For more information, please visit our website.
- For compatibility information, visit www.cochlear.com/compatibility.
- ReSound is a trademark of GN Hearing A/S
