The start of my incredible journey

Hi!

I hope you all enjoyed reading about me in my first blog. In this blog, I will explain about my cochlear implant surgery and how it felt when it was first turned on to a computer!

It started when I was 15 years old, I went for my audiology appointment - I would go once a year like I do right now for my cochlear implant. I remember that day as if it was yesterday, my audiologist told me that my hearing loss was getting a lot worse and she told me about the cochlear implant and I investigated it, it was a scary thing for a teenager to think about. I remember my family being totally supportive of my decision, I was scared but they really thought it was a great opportunity for me.  I was born deaf, but my parents only discovered my hearing loss when I was about a year old and got my first hearing-aids at 18 months old. As I grew older, I didn't have that much hearing in my left ear so I was relying on my right ear and lip-reading which was really difficult for me and I couldn't really carry on in conversations and it was exhausting having to lip-read people back and forth when it was a group of friends, or classmates talking in class, even the teacher walking back and forth as they were talking or family gatherings - in other words, I felt left out. It was hard making friends, some people understood me and others didn't but I did make some amazing friends that I still speak to this very day, some that were incredibily supportive in encouraging me to go for the cochlear implant.

I decided not to go for the cochlear implant at 15 years old, I put those thoughts about what could go wrong in the surgery in the back of my mind and went on with my life but when I was around 18 to 19 years old, I was having second thoughts. I woke up one day and thought, ''what if my hearing-aids don't work when I wake up one day, what if I lose my hearing completely?'' That was a much scarier thought as I realized I was getting older and I decided to speak with my parents about it, I remember telling them how I felt and I wanted to investigate more on the cochlear implant, and so I did.

I made an appointment with my audiologist for some hearing tests to send to Quebec City, then I had to make an appointment in the clinic in Quebec City to do more hearing tests and to read some writing out aloud with the team of audiologists and I remember being asked questions about my expectations on the cochlear implant. I explained in detail of what I imagined what the cochlear implant might be like, I was told my expectations were a little too high... that brought me down and a little discouraged. But at the end of the meeting, my parents and I were sat down in the office awaiting the results, as in yes or no in getting the cochlear implant or not. I remember them saying ''we think you should get the cochlear implant''... my mother bursted into tears and so did I. I was so happy that I was given this opportunity to have the surgery!

Stay tuned for the next blog!