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Our specialists are happy to discuss your individual case with you. Serious inquiries only, please. For an appointment, call 303-783-9220. DIRECTOR: CNI Rocky Mountain Cochlear Implant
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Center for Hearing, |
Shellee
29, Utah “I’m enjoying my implant and love hearing everything. It is amazing to hear little things I never heard before. It is a big blessing for me. Thanks for helping me! My dream has come true!” (See story on CBS News)
“I am writing to thank you for all of your help in enabling me to obtain a cochlear implant. I am a self-employed farmer in a small rural community. It is thrilling to be able to hear birds sing, hear my baby calves nursing their mothers, hear hay machinery working properly and carry on a telephone conversation. I was recently able to attend my grandmother’s 89th birthday party and I enjoyed visiting with family and friends in a group setting. I really appreciate hearing and being a part of the real world again. It is truly a wonderful miracle. Thank you again for your part in my success.”
Jackie,
55, Texas “Thank you again for making this all possible. When I called my mother to share my blessing, there was dead silence on the other end of the line. Finally when she was able to speak, she made me repeat it until she could believe it has all come true. Thank you so very much for this opportunity and I look forward to my new ‘ear.’” UPDATE: “I am proud of the fact that I have a cochlear implant. I want to share the opportunity of hearing more with others that may be like I was at first, totally ingnorant of a cochlear implant. Had I not had others looking out for me, I would not have gotten to this point. Now it is my turn to be an advocate for cochlear implants.”
Aidan,
20 months, Colorado “The first time that we said a word after our 20 month old son had his implant, he repeated the sound! We were thrilled and we know that it will be only a matter of time before he says his first word. There was one time that they baby was crying and Aidan went over to his crib to check it out. We were very excited, because not only did he hear the crying, but he knew what it was and where it was coming from. Thank you for helping with his success.”
The "Freedom" to hear is a blessing. For me, hearing with the implant is a continual learning experience. All of my family and friends are so delighted in my increased communication skills since I received the Freedom implant. It is such a blessing that I am now able to sit on the outdoor swing and talk with my husband as we watch the stars. Never before was I able to converse in the dark. Now, I am able to hear most things. However, a flashlight can still come in handy! I also listen to music and try to sing along or catch the different tones. A very special thanks to the CNI organization for helping me – it is such a privilege and I would like everyone to know how much I appreciate getting the implant.”
October,
25, Utah “I want to tell you that I am SO grateful that you have agreed to donate this implant to me. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am! Thank you for everything you have done…we can not say thank you enough." UPDATE: “I am doing incredibly well thank you. It has now been about 1.5 years since I received my cochlear implant. I have so many wonderful things happening in my life at the moment. I am graduating from college in 3 months. I have been going to school for 8 years and struggled because the college I went to didn’t have the technology to help deaf students. I became deaf rather fast and never learned signed language so college was REALLY a struggle for me. Now thanks to your organization I am finally finishing up my degree! I am so excited. I also have been training to become a pharmacy technician, which is a great opportunity for me. I always shied away from any job that had to deal with people because it was embarrassing and frustrating when you can’t hear/understand them. I look back at my life before my surgery and I honestly do not know how I did it everyday. I am so grateful for your support. My life would not be where it is today if it was not for you. I can’t even begin to express my gratitude. I will forever be in debt to you. You gave me my life back!”
Tucker,
4, Oklahoma “Our son got his implant Monday and we came home Tuesday - he did great. Thank you again for you help in making this happen for him! You have truly blessed a young boy and all those connected to him!” (The photo of Tucker was taken the day of his surgery.)
“I just wanted to thank you for making the decision to give me the implant. You have brought much joy & relief after a long struggle to me and my family. Always and forever gratefully yours.”
“Thank you for your help in making our holiday wishes come true. Our son has been telling me every day that all he wants for Christmas is to be able to HEAR. We will certainly have a MERRY CHRISTMAS and we wish you and the Cochlear Implant Assistant Program the same.”
“With the cochlear implant, I feel so much more confident, it is exciting to hear sound again (it is much better than hearing aids). Music also sounds good and I am using the telephone! I’ve had 3 speech therapy sessions and my therapist says I’m doing exceptionally well - beyond expectation. No doubt I will continue to recognize and use more sounds and I am working hard to listen and to speak more distinctly. This is the greatest thing that ever happened to me in my entire life! I will forever grateful for your role in this miracle for me. My heartfelt thanks.”
UPDATE: “I am doing great with my cochlear implant especially the new Freedom speech processor that I update from ESPrit 3G a few months ago.Thank you for everything you have done for me.”
Shelly,
34, Georgia “Because of you and the foundation, my greatest wish has come true – I’m hearing again for the first time in 18 years and it’s all becoming clearer and clearer every day. I heard the blinker of my car for the first time in years, the telephone ringing in the other room, food in the frying pan sizzling and most especially, I heard my son! I’m looking so forward to the new year and all the possibilities with my hearing that I haven’t even been able to imagine yet. Thank you again so much!”
“We are truly grateful to you for all the hard work you put in on our son’s behalf. We appreciate the letters, phone calls and time you spent making his implant a success! You’ll never now how your part in this has blessed our family!”
“Water running, static, my own voice and breath...elevators dinging, the second hand on the clock, my turn signal, ice in water, my clothes swishing...these are just a few of the things I’m hearing now, for the first time in 30 years. I can’t wait for spring to get here so I can hear the birds and the bees. Sometimes it doesn’t seem as if “Thank You” is enough for this miracle you have been a part of. I am forever grateful to you and the people who have donated their time or services to get this done for me. Thank you again for making my life so incredibly different!”
Just a couple of days before her seventh birthday, Alexandra’s
world changed. In December 2006, she became severely ill with meningoencephalitis,
which weakened her body, severely impaired her balance and completely
destroyed her hearing. After nine days in the hospital, including five
in the intensive care unit, Alexandra returned home to begin her recovery.
Facing challenges that would seem daunting to most adults, she learned
to overcome balance issues in order to walk again and she worked with
her parents, therapists and even her little brother, Douglas, to develop
new ways to receive and communicate information due to her hearing loss.
"Every day we were amazed by her courage, tenacity and sheer will power," her parents explain. "She persevered through physical therapy, speech therapy and home schooling - Alexandra never gave up." Alexandra's parents never gave up, either. They worked to bring together a team of top specialists from CNI's Center for Hearing to identify and explore available resources to help their daughter. They learned that Alexandra was an ideal candidate for a cochlear implant, a unique technology that allows deaf individuals to hear. In June 2006, Alexandra received her first cochlear implant and in April 2007, she received her second, or bilateral, implant, both by Dr. David Kelsall.
Shortly after receiving her first implant, Alexandra and her family attended the CNI Cochlear Kids Camp where she met lots of kids of all ages with cochlear implants just like hers. "It was so wonderful for her to see other kids with cochlear implants," her parents recall. "It also helped us realize that we weren't alone — and that's huge when you go through something like this."
Today, Alexandra is back in school with her class, enjoying all of the activities she did prior to her illness, including playing the piano and talking with all her friends. "We prayed for a miracle and, by the grace of God, we got it the day Alexandra could hear again," her parents explain. "We are so grateful to CNI for being part of this miracle."
While
only seven years old, Tanner has overcome more challenges than most people
face in a lifetime. Born with Noonan's Syndrome, a serious condition
that affects both physical and mental aspects of a child's development,
Tanner has struggled with a wide range of health issues and other difficulties
throughout his life.
What makes his story even more compelling is the fact that he was also
born profoundly deaf.
For many, the combination of these challenges might have proved too overwhelming to result in anything but a life of limitations. But not for Tanner. The ongoing support, love and encouragement of his parents, his older brother Taylor, and his twin sister, Madelyn, have helped make Tanner's a story of unlimited hope. With the help of professionals at CNI and the Listen Foundation, the Whitmores learned early on that Tanner was an ideal candidate for a cochlear implant—a sophisticated device that effectively allows the profoundly deaf to "hear."
At 15 months old, Tanner received a cochlear implant for his left ear. While the transition to the hearing world was shocking to Tanner at first, he gradually became more confident and independent. "The turning point came about six weeks after the surgery," his mom explains."He started to turn when we called his name, and he began to understand that all of these things around him have sound. The world began to open up for him." With the help of weekly therapy sessions and the constant support of his family, Tanner has continued to steadily progress, even beginning kindergarten in a mainstream hearing classroom this year. He also recently underwent a second procedure that equips him with a bilateral implant for his right ear, enabling him to now "hear" out of both ears so he can better pinpoint sources of sound.
CNI has also continued to play an important role in Tanner's ongoing progress through resources like the annual CNI Cochlear Kids Camp and the CNI Angel Network, which recently provided funding to help offset some of Tanner's ongoing auditory and verbal therapy costs.
These days, Tanner loves to listen to music, play basketball, wrestle with his brother and just be a kid. For him and for his family, it's been a long journey to get here, but one that's been defined by hope every step of the way.
At
first glance, one can easily see the resemblance between sisters Sophia
and Emma. Each has bright, beautiful eyes, ivory skin and thick, wavy
brown hair. At five and a half, Sophia loves school, art and playing
dress-up, while Emma, who’s just under two years old,
prefers tea parties and exploring how different things work around the
house.
What you wouldn’t necessarily know is that both girls were born profoundly deaf. A key reason this is not apparent is because both girls have received cochlear implants—an advanced medical technology that effectively allows them to “hear." Coupled with weekly speech/auditory therapy, these implants provide Sophia and Emma with a unique doorway into the hearing world.
“We wanted our daughters to have every choice available to them," explain their parents, Dan and Julie, when discussing their decision to provide both girls with implants. But as their parents can attest, the implants are only the first step of many that are necessary to help prepare the girls for a future in the hearing world. And for them, CNI has been an invaluable resource throughout their journey.
“CNI has been a great resource to us because they don’t limit their support or your options,” Julie explains. “They are committed to helping families in every way possible, from the implant surgery, to comprehensive audiology services, to unique resources like the CNI Cochlear Kids Camp.”
For the family, CNI’s support has been particularly refreshing given the many challenges they face elsewhere, such as fighting for insurance coverage and necessary considerations within the school system. “It’s often an uphill battle," says Julie. “We spend a lot of time educating insurance companies, school boards and even the medical community about hearing loss and cochlear implant technology.”
Dan and Julie believe the potential gains are well worth the effort—by providing more opportunities for their daughters and hopefully other families in the future. “With the help of CNI, we’re able to give our girls the world," Julie says. “And in return, the world will benefit from all that they have to offer.”
Kobe, 2004 Hope Award RecipientWhen Denise and Ron were told that their 18-month-old son, Kobe, was deaf, they were understandably devastated. But they were also determined to do everything they could to help him. After several tests with hearing specialists, the parents learned that Kobe was an excellent candidate for an advanced surgical technology called a cochlear implant. Successfully used with children as young as 12 months, the implant could effectively enable Kobe to "hear." However, Denise and Ron were soon told that their health insurance wouldn’t cover the approximate $65,000 cost for the procedure.
“It was such a disappointment,” Denise recalls, “to learn
that there’s something out there that can help your son hear-and you can’t
give it to him. It just made us more determined than ever to find a way to make
it happen.” With two daughters in college and a third in school, the family
knew they faced an uphill battle financially to pull together the necessary funds.
But they didn’t give up hope.
Instead, Denise committed every free moment to call, write or e-mail anyone and everyone she could think of to potentially help them raise the money. It required constant effort. Every day. Every night. Month after month. Then one evening, Ron and Denise heard a miracle. It was a message on their answering machine from the CNI Center for Hearing saying their son had been selected as a recipient for CNI’s Cochlear Implant Assistance Program.
“So many doors had been shut by that point," Denise says, “that we began to expect it. So when we applied for the Program -and heard that we were approved, it was pretty much a miracle.”
With the funding to proceed, the Denise and Ron were able to have the procedure done for Kobe in July 2003. They worked closely with CNI’s Dr. Kelsall, Medical Director of the CNI Center for Hearing and Kobe’s surgeon, who helped them understand all aspects of the surgery and what to expect afterwards.
These
days, Kobe is still learning to adjust to all the sounds that were absent
during the first two years of his life.the sound of his parents’ and sisters’ voices.even
the sound of the family dogs barking. And his toys-for him, they’re new
again because they have sounds.
“It’s a slow process, but we can see so many changes already,” Denise says. "Before, you could see the frustration in him because he was understanding things, but couldn’t communicate them. Now, he uses his voice-he drives his trucks and makes engine sounds. He sings. He dances. He says ‘Mom.’”
“ There’s just no limit to how many doors this will open for him," she adds. “And that’s worth everything.”Allison is a vivacious, athletic, 15 year old eighth grader with
a great sense of humor and a smile that lights up a room. She was born
with significan
t
hearing loss. Although hearing aids provided some help, at the age of
11, she experienced the hearing world for the first time when she received
a cochlear implant at the CNI Center for Hearing.
The difference between an implant and her hearing aids amazed Allison. The first sound she heard - her mother’s voice - sounded high pitched and loud, and Allison worried that she had made a big mistake. Everything was like listening to music on a bad radio. But she quickly learned how to process and distinguish good sounds like music from bad sounds like a car crash. Now, she says, she can have a conversation without looking directly at someone. She can hear her teachers clearly, and she is more focused in school.
“At first, I really wasn’t used to how loud things sounded. Now, I love it. I have no regrets at all.”
Allison wants to go to college some day, to the University of Oklahoma or somewhere back East. She thinks about being an FBI agent, or maybe a lawyer. “I like the idea of serving and protecting my country," she says. She loves soccer and basketball, and dreams about being a professional soccer player like Mia Hamm or Brandi Chastain. “I even have Mia’s autograph!”
When asked if she has any advice for others considering a cochlear implant, Allison tells them that the most important thing is to keep going and stay motivated. “The cochlear implant is a reward. If you keep working hard, the reward just gets bigger.”
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Colorado Neurological
Institute Center for Hearing
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