Hearing Loss: Cochlear Implant Helps Gavin Hear
Gavin showing off his cochlear implant.
I would like to introduce you to my son Gavin. He is a 3-1/2-year-old little boy who is happy, bright, curious, outgoing and full of life. Gavin was diagnosed with severe to profound hearing loss December 22, 2006. We found out about his hearing loss one month before he turned 3 years old.
Gavin was born a normal, happy and healthy baby. As Gavin was getting close to his first birthday, I started worrying about his speech because he was not talking. When we would go to the doctor, I would tell her that I was concerned about his speech. She insisted it was normal for him not to be talking yet. Gavin's two-year checkup came, and he still was not talking. I told his doctor I was still very concerned. She said again that there was nothing to worry about, and it's normal for your second child not to talk until later. She said if I was still concerned, she would refer us at his 3-year-old checkup. A whole year went by and Gavin was still not talking. Finally, his doctor referred us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
We went to our appointment, and the ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor wanted Gavin to get a hearing test. We went over to Audiology where they took Gavin in the hearing test booth. We were in the booth for about 15 minutes. When we came out of the booth, the audiogist told me Gavin had a significant amount of hearing loss. I started crying and my heart broke thinking to myself that Gavin was never going to talk. I really was lost and did not know what to do.
About 3 weeks later, Gavin was fitted with hearing aids and went through several tests which included an ABR, MRI, FMRI. These tests proved that Gavin had severe to profound hearing loss. Gavin wore his hearing aids for about six months and was not showing great progress. So Gavin's Audiologist talked to us about a cochlear implant that would allow Gavin to hear the littlest noises. This also would require a lot of oral speech therapy and a lot of support.
While going through all of this, I also had to fight for services that were appropriate for Gavin. Remember, these hearing-impaired children have a hearing disability, not a learning disability. We had to go through a long process, but Gavin is now attending a local oral-deaf school. There are many options for hearing-impaired children, but this was the right decision for our family. I also decided for Gavin to get the cochlear implant, which he received August 30, 2007. Gavin is really progressing with the implant. He will receive his second implant in the summer of 2008.
This really has been the hardest thing to go through for me. It's hard really for any parent to accept that their child has a disability. I struggle sometimes, but life is really too full of joy. We just accept whatever we're given.
I really would like to thank Cincinnati Children's for everything they have done for Gavin and our family. They really have a good support team and are there for the families. Cincinnati Children's has given Gavin the help to be able to hear and speak where hearing-impaired children were once confined to silence. Thank you again Cincinnati Children's.
