For years my dad and I had heard that our hearing was not bad enough for a cochlear implant (CI) so I never thought that it was possible until July of 2008. As a Junior High School teacher, I was facing the last year of my career because of my hearing loss. My audiologist told me that I had the best hearing aids and could not expect any better sound.

On a flight to Maui I was chatting with my seatmate about hearing aids when a lady in the seat in front of us popped her head over the top and said, “I’m an audiologist in the San Diego area, and I’ve been listening to your conversation! You sound like a perfect candidate for a Cochlear Implant!” Wow, was I surprised!
I chatted with the audiologist the rest of the trip and I called my own audiologist as soon as I returned home. I soon realized that getting a CI was a possibility and I was so excited! I started the process and was eventually recommended to the House Clinic, where the surgery was scheduled for June, after school was out. I knew I had to be ready to teach again at the end of August so I had lots of work ahead of me. Dr. Eric Wilkinson performed my surgery and I went home that evening with the turban wrapped tightly around my head.

On July 17, 2008, I was hooked up with the sound processor. My sister and I went and had a celebratory lunch at Phillipe’s in downtown Los Angeles. On the way home I could hear her talk to me in the car with a minimum of lip-reading.  Dr. Mills gave me a copy of the “Sound and Way Beyond” CD to ‘train my brain to hear digitally.’ I finished the last of fifteen levels two days before school started!

My students were curious about the surgery and I showed them a sample cochlear implant. One student told me that my class wasn’t getting away with as much now that I had an implant! It was a thrill to hear every word at my parent-teacher meetings. I also noticed the students did not have to constantly repeat themselves, and then just give up when I couldn’t understand them.

I can now hear owls hoot on a quiet summer night, listen to talk radio in the car, and even watch a movie with my husband, things I haven’t done in over 20 years. I am so grateful for the audiologist who spoke up on the plane, Dr. Wilkinson and Dr. Mills’ expertise and House Ear Institute’s years of research. I hope to have my right ear implanted within the next two years.

Gretchen Stevens