Hello Guys
It is time for an update and to conclude my campaign.
I waited a while before I wanted to post this.
My activation was on the 1st of October and this was really an emotional day for all of us. I had my brother all the way from Auckland, my mother and Pieter with me on the day.
As you know my journey is a bit more complicated due to the illness I have in my ears, the otosclerosis. The otosclerosis complicated the surgery and process as there was in increased risk of facial nerve stimulation (FNS), because of my facial nerve canal that was raptured and the nerve is completely exposed.
I am sharing this emotional video with you on my activation day, which is the switch-on of the cochlear implant, the external device that is called the processor. We were all so nervous! The processor captures the sounds externally and then stimulate the electrodes which is implanted in the cochlea, sound waves is then carried this way to the brain.
This is truly a miracle and I am so blessed to be able to share this with you. Note at the very end the little movement of my head.
My audiologist creates maps of sounds to adjust my hearing capabilities. We have about a year of therapy and maps ahead to optimise different sounds.
The first sounds that I could hear on my own was the sound of the indicator in the car, it was mind blowing. The second sound was the sound of a dove outside the window. For the first time in 20 years I could hear birds again, the wind and water running.
Of course all the sounds, sounded different, like very robotic, but the brain gets used to it and it is truly magical!
