Hearing loss has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. I was fitted with my first hearing aid at age 6 and continued on for 37 years--always returning for "more power". Despite the aid, my most valuable tool was my lip reading ability--as long as my eyes could see, I was okay. But my lifeline went down with the sun--you cannot lip read in the dark. 

With a progressive hearing loss, the quality of your life just slips away day after day.  The reality for me was that I couldn't hear the voices of my children, I couldn't talk on the telephone (and had not been able to for over 15 years!!), I couldn't even order a cup of coffee at a drive through (no lips to read)

When I was younger, I was very social, loved being in charge, loved teaching... how did I get to this point of total isolation? Was there anything that could help me?

What started my journey towards finding a solution was when my husband and I relocated our family to Charlotte NC. New city, new doctors...I was finally told about cochlear implants. That was in 2003. The last few years I have been so blessed, not only with speech understanding--but in gaining back my self confidence.

The cochlear implant has not only given me back my life, but it has changed the way I live it!! As corny as it sounds, I feel like I have been given my  "wings" and I plan to  enjoy the ride.