Cochlear implants reduce Nicole's hearing impairment
When Jean, born with profound hearing loss, was a child, cochlear implants were in the realm of science fiction. But for her daughter, Nicole, who received an implant at Children's Memorial Hospital at age 6, cochlear implants are a modern reality—one that has made a huge impact in her life.
Originally diagnosed with a severe loss of hearing, Nicole has made a significant improvement in her hearing, speech comprehension and ability to speak.
“She's vocalizing more and being more consistent with speech, saying a word the same way each time,” says Jean.
Jean and her hearing husband, Matthew, underwent genetic testing before Nicole and her older sister, Heather, were born. Doctors told them Jean had a chromosomal abnormality, indicating there was a 50-50 chance their children would have hearing loss. Heather was born with normal hearing, but when Nicole was born, initial tests indicated severe hearing loss.
Nicole was fitted with hearing aids at 3 months that helped her detect sound, but by age 3 it was becoming clear that although she could hear sounds, she couldn't understand speech without lip-reading. Nicole's parents had been researching cochlear implantation for quite some time, but had reservations about losing her residual hearing and other complications. After much research and talking with both deaf and hearing parents of children with implants, they decided to go ahead with the procedure, which was performed by Nancy Young, MD, at Children's Memorial's Cochlear Implant Center.
“We had low expectations but high hopes,” says Jean. “And so far Nicole's done very well. When she first got the implant I could do the listening exercises with her. Now her hearing has far surpassed mine. She'll ask me, ‘Mom, what's that noise?' and I'll say, ‘What noise?'”
“We have two very bright, linguistically advanced kids, one of whom just happens to be deaf,” says Nicole's mother, Jean.
In the family's household on Chicago's north side, communication takes place in a variety of ways. “Sometimes we talk, sometimes we sign and sometimes we do both at the same time,” says Matthew, who adds that Heather began communicating in basic sign language when she was just 6-months-old.
Jean, former associate executive director of the Chicago Hearing Society, says some in the deaf community say implants promote the notion that parents can forget their children are deaf and allow them to depend solely on technology, often isolating the child. Jean rejects the concept. “I always tell people I'm a mother first and a deaf person second,” she says. “Since we're bi-cultural, what we're doing is what works for us and is what we feel is in the best interests of our child.”
Nicole's parents say they're very happy with the follow-up care she has received at Children's Memorial—particularly in the speech and language staff's willingness to work with her on speech comprehension activities usually targeted to older children. Thanks to her skills in language and speech, Nicole will be attending an academic program with hearing students.
“We have two very bright, linguistically advanced kids, one of whom just happens to be deaf,” Jean says.
Children's Memorial Hospital seeks philanthropic funding to enhance its programs and services. As a proud partner of the Children's Miracle Network (CMN), all funds raised in the Chicago area through CMN also benefit Children's Memorial. To find out how your support can help the hospital better serve children and families, please contact the Children's Memorial Foundation at 773.880.4237 or Foundation@childrensmemorial.org.