In the 1990s, hearing tests were not a standard part of newborn health screening. As a result, Mia’s bilateral profound deafness went undiagnosed until she was 15 months old.
Having received her diagnosis, Mia’s parents chose a specialist school for Mia’s oral education, where she was trained in lip reading. She wore hearing aids in both ears, but they were ineffective as a treatment for her profound deafness.
With no experience of deafness themselves or in their wider families, Mia’s parents struggled to work out how best to help their daughter. So they set about researching the options available and learned about cochlear implants.
“The resident audiologist explained that I would be a great candidate for the cochlear implant, primarily due to the severity of my deafness and that I am surrounded by an incredibly supportive and helpful family,” explains Mia.
Her parents chose the Cochlear™ Nucleus® System “after learning about all the positives of the brand” and Mia now wears the Nucleus 7 Sound Processor, enjoying the connectivity with her iPhone and other Bluetooth® devices.
“It is also very empowering for me to use the Nucleus Smart App to monitor the battery and volume status of my sound processor,” says Mia.
“I am so grateful to have a cochlear implant and to consistently and reliably use it to hear. Life as a profoundly deaf person sure has its challenges, but having a cochlear implant helps me experience the world and feel included with my family and friends. I do love having the superpower of being able to lip read too!”
Mia appreciates the efforts her parents and others made when she was younger to determine that her quality of life would be positively impacted by having a cochlear implant.
“I love hearing sounds like the waves crashing at the beach and the birds chirping.”
As a teenager, she enjoyed many team sports and was a competitive swimmer during school and college. One of the biggest challenges was that she couldn’t hear the starting buzzer because she had to remove her sound processor to go in the water.
Although she no longer swims competitively, Mia can now use the Aqua+ Accessory to enjoy sounds when she is in and around the water.
“In the summer, you will most likely see me with my husband and friends on our boat! I am always sure to be careful that my sound processor does not fall off while we are driving the boat on the rivers.”
Mia’s latest goal is to continue to spread awareness and help educate others by sharing her experiences as a deaf person with a cochlear implant on her Instagram page. You can follow her story and experiences by following @AllEarsWithMia on Instagram.
“I feel that if my parents had known a bit more about the deaf culture, they would have felt more secure in their decision for me to receive a cochlear implant,” she explains. “I want to help others feel educated and empowered in their learning about the deaf culture and the incredible people in the world who are affected by all degrees of deafness!”
If you like to spend time on or in the water like Mia, check out the Aqua+ Accessory.
You can buy Aqua+ in the Cochlear Online Store.
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