The Story Behind My Passion

Imagine for a moment what it would be like to live in the boisterous muted world of a young deaf child. Understanding such a deficiency to one who hears perfectly is almost impossible. This is the sad reality of my young cousin, Malachi. On his first birthday, he was diagnosed with, "profound hearing loss" or otherwise known as deaf. At ninety decibels this bubbly one year old cannot hear even the faintest whisper. As a family, we all knew what this meant for him. He would never live a "normal" life as any child should, and we would all have to learn to cope with this drastic change in our lives. Malachi has never heard his mother's voice as she tries to soothe him, his favorite Saturday morning cartoons, his own laughter, or even a single note from a radio. A solution was then sought after by an ENT at the Medical University of South Carolina. (An Ears, Nose, Throat specialist) She thought to first try hearing aids after many tests had been conducted. Despite her knowledge of the ineffectiveness of this trial due to his massive hearing loss, she custom fit a pair of hearing aids for him anyway. This step is part of the protocol deemed neccessary to be elgible for cochlear implants. My aunt quickly realized that she had ultimately wasted time and money on a product that would not gaurentee her son's progress. Why did Dr. Thompson decide to take this step and prolong the process further? Hearing aids are just one of the many steps required to eventually, operate and receive cochlear implants. Protocol has replaced what is best for the patient themselves and extends the process, which, is already draining emotionally and financially. After many appointments, hours in the car, prayer, and faith, Malachi's left ear was operated on. Just a month later her was able to be put under for the second time to operate on his right ear. Both surgeries were successful and guarantee restoration of his lost sense and normality. However, were the hearing aids really needed to dictate his eligibility for the implants when the medical professionals' opinions differed? The road restoring Malachi's hearing was strenuous and taxing for the entire family. Is there anything that can be done to reduce the waiting time leading up to operation on deaf patients? The time to operate is now as technology grows almost daily to better the lives of those that have gone without.