Wells family transforms care for deaf and hearing-impaired children
Shortly after Max was born, his parents received devastating news: their baby had failed standard newborn hearing tests in both ears. “I thought, ‘This can't be true, there's no history of hearing problems in our family,'” says his mother, Kristen.
Thankfully, Kristen and her husband, David, were referred to Nancy M. Young, MD, a world-renowned surgeon and head of the Section of Otology and Neurotology at Children's Memorial. Young is also the medical director of the Audiology and Cochlear Implant Program . A cochlear implant is a device that stimulates nerve fibers in the inner ear to enable hearing capability in individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Successful implantation surgery can transform the life of a child.
Young determined that Max was a candidate for simultaneous implantation surgery in both ears, and performed the state-of-the-art procedure on him when he was 7-months-old. Today he is an active 1-year-old who has full access to sound and normal speech development.
Support spans three generations
Max is just one of the thousands of children whose lives have been touched by the generosity of the Wells family. For more than 70 years, the family's philanthropy has expanded and enhanced the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology , whose specialists treat children primarily with disorders of the ears, nose, and throat. It has enabled the development of new surgical techniques, clinical care practices, new facilities, key recruitments and endowed positions for faculty and staff, including the Lillian S. Wells Chair in Pediatric Otolaryngology, held by Young. The family has also made gifts in support of neonatology, pediatric research and education.