Life is Bliss - Lily's Cochlear Implant Journey

Lily is reading the blog

My New Year's Resolution is to get back to blogging.  It's important!  

However, nearly all the blogs I have followed for the past 7 1/2 years are either slowing or have died long ago. I miss knowing these kiddos lives from afar!  Certainly Facebook and Instagram have taken their place as a way to share a story.  In addition, the kids have gotten older and there becomes less day to day discussion of the hearing journey.  But I hadn't realized how important continuing to tell our story would be, until Lily recently found her blog books.  

Every few years we've printed out the blog, using Blurb as a book publishing tool.  The books have always sat under the coffee table ready to read.  However during this winter break, Lily has found and devoured them, reading and re-reading each page as if it was the secret to her life's story.  I always wrote with this end in mind, but didn't imagine it would happen when Lily was in the second grade.  

Here's to another year of blogging and total bliss (when you meet Princess Elsa for the first time)!  

 

Stanford's School of Medicine highlights Lily's blog

Love being featured on Stanford's School of Medicine's blog about Going back to School with hearing loss.  

They have identified other excellent resources in this post like our friend Drew's Blog and our friend Rachel's website called Cochlear Implant Online.

Ironically, Stanford is one of the places Lily's Dad and I joke about Lily attending.  When we ask Lily where she is planning on going to college, she says, "Mom, I'm just in Kindergarten."  Maybe Lily can include this coverage on her admissions application.    

Cochlear Implant Help - New information resource

Great new information resource on Cochlear Implants - Cochlearimplanthelp.com

 

 

Ling 6 Test - Iphone/Ipod App

Here's a new Iphone/Ipad application to test the Ling 6 Sounds

This app creates a quick, easy and fun way to check and see that a child detects those sounds that lie within the speech spectrum of hearing and can be used daily to insure that cochlear implants are functioning properly.  In the "old days" we used a big bag of toys. 

Great Idea!!!

Post Mother's Day Post

I read the following last year on Cochlear Implant Online, and loved it.   Elizabeth, the writer, is a young grad student who has the insight and sensitivity of an old soul.  She will be a terrific SLP or hearing resource professional very soon. 

Mother's Day was very special this year.  Lily's Dad and I think about how lucky we are daily.    (My personal edits below are in italics)

May 8th, 2010 by Elizabeth

HERE’S TO THE MOMS

Here’s to the Moms who may not have “signed up” to parent a deaf or hard of hearing child, but do so anyway with grace and love.

Here’s to the Moms who narrate every second of every day, not caring what others may think.

Here’s to the Moms who put miles on their cars driving back and forth to countless therapy sessions, doctor’s appointments, hearing aid fittings, cochlear implant mappings, and more.

Here’s to the Moms who work hard to be their child’s best advocate and primary language role model.

Here’s to the Moms who have had to learn a new language too fast full of Auditory Verbal/Auditory Oral terms and audiological jargon.

Here’s to the Moms who face the “experts” and fight for their child’s best interest in IFSP/IEP meetings and in those meetings where you are just trying to make the system better. 

Here’s to the Moms who can wrestle two CIs or HAs onto a squirming toddler… and replace it 20-40 times each day, even in the car, without loosing their cool.

Here’s to the Moms who can cook dinner, answer the phone, and change a CI/HA battery without breaking a sweat.

Here’s to the Moms who constantly have to explain their child’s “equipment” and answer the question are those forever?

Here’s to the Moms who have ever felt the pain of having a child who is “different”.

Here’s to the Moms who never take a single word for granted.

Here’s to the Moms who never fail to astound me with their capacity to persevere… and to love.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!
Originally posted May 9, 2009

Advanced Bionics People

One of the amazing things about our Advanced Bionics Mentor training was meeting the staff and the other mentors that consisted of adult recipients and parents of kids with CIs.

The Staff - From the President on down, the staff was incredibly professional, knowledgeable and passionate.  They believed in what they were doing and were totally committed to helping people hear better. 

The AB President, Jeff Greiner, outlined AB's history, the challenges they faced and what the future may hold.  He spoke frankly about starting a implant device company with seven engineers in the early 90s and what the company had become today.  He described their intense focus on listening and sound quality which has resulted in superior performance.  His confidence in the AB product and staff was apparent  He had a CEO's confidence, yet said this nearly 20-year journey had made him humble. 

The rest of the staff, including those from the Bionic Ear Association, marketing, manufacturing, product development and others were equally as impressive.  They were all well trained, totally engaged and passionate about helping people hear better.  They could see the big picture.  Almost all of the staff were trained as audiologists and now serve as advocates, business managers, marketers, sales people, trainers, technical advisers, and product designers. 

Other Mentors - The other 40 people at the Mentor Training were adults and teens with Cochlear Implants and parents of kids with Cochlear Implants.    Most of the people there had been helping advise CI candidates for years and could clearly demonstrate how the AB CI had changed their lives so dramatically.  The passion in the room was contagious.  Many of them also had blogs.  Here are just a few.

Kids

http://elliottrocks.blogspot.com/

http://maxandclairesadventure.blogspot.com/

Adults

http://geocobb.blogspot.com/

http://cisoundsx2.blogspot.com/

We are so appreciative to Advanced Bionics for helping Lily to hear.  They realize, as do we, that our partnership with them is for a lifetime.  Now with Advanced Bionics being purchased by Sonova/Phonak, we think even more exciting things are ahead.  If we could only figure out how to purchase stock on the Swiss Stock exchange.  I think the outlook for Advanced Bionics is bright.