Like many parents, Jennifer and Ben Jackson assumed that their baby's hearing was tested at the hospital, along with his vision and other vital signs. Once they returned home with Verscye ("Cye" for short) they noticed that although he was responsive to visual cues, he did not respond to aural cues the way as his older brother had done.   

Throughout his infancy, Cye’s pediatrician continued to reassure them that nothing was wrong with his hearing. Since hearing loss did not run in their families they had no reason to think their son had congenital deafness, however they felt they needed a second opinion. When Cye was nearly 14 months old, an audiologist performed comprehensive hearing tests on him and confirmed their fears. Cye had a profound hearing loss and most likely he had not been hearing since birth. When his pediatrician received Cye's test results, he immediately referred them to the Children's CARE Center at the House Ear Institute (HEI) for further testing and appropriate intervention.

It was during their first consultation with House Clinic physician Rick Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., that the Jackson family learned about the options available to treat Cye's profound hearing loss. Dr. Friedman advised that Cye undergo additional testing to determine if he would be a candidate for hearing aids. Cye wore powerful hearing aids for a six month trial period, while Dr. Friedman and the CARE Center staff confirmed that he was not receiving enough auditory benefit from hearing aids. They considered him a candidate for a cochlear implant.

Cye’s parents needed to decide - did they prefer to continue communicating with him in sign language and enroll him in a total communication class for the deaf and hard of hearing when he reached school age - or did they want Cye to grow up using oral modes of communication? If they decided that the cochlear implant was the best option, they needed to act quickly to ensure that he would have the benefit that a cochlear implant would provide during crucial language acquisition years.

“We learned that the cochlear implant would give Verscye sound so he could learn oral language and communicate verbally. We also learned about the deaf community and schools that teach sign language, but finally decided that for us, for our family, the cochlear implant was the best solution," said Jennifer. Once their decision was made, the surgery was successfully performed by Dr. Friedman. Eight weeks later, the Jacksons returned to the CARE Center, for Cye's initial stimulation or "hook-up" to sound.

Now nearly two years old, Cye responded well during his introduction to sound through his cochlear implant. His eyes registered surprise and curiosity as the beeps increased in volume. His audiologists predicted that he'll become accustomed to receiving auditory stimulation, and begin to respond to environmental sounds. Perhaps six months down the road, he should begin to respond to his parent's voices and to process spoken language.

When asked what their hopes were for Cye, Jennifer responded, "I especially want him to be able to respond to verbal warnings in dangerous situations. And someday, I hope to hear my baby say, "I love you, Mommy."