Teens often struggle to find confidence at the best of times so, when 14-year-old Jack stood on his school stage to have his head shaved to raise funds for cancer research, no-one was more surprised than his mums, Sasha and Meredith. They attribute their son’s growing confidence to the discretion of his two new CochlearTM Nucleus® Kanso® 2 Sound Processors – which he loves. Being worn off the ear, the Kanso 2 Sound Processors have also been more comfortable for Jack to wear with his glasses.
As a keen swimmer, Jack’s love of water and swimming was very much affected by his hearing loss.
“Jack’s foray into swimming lessons was delayed until the advent of the Aqua+ which was literally life changing for Jack,” says his mother Sasha. “Now Jack can go into the water with his ‘ears’ on.”
With his parents’ plans to install a new pool at home this summer, Jack will be able to enjoy swimming with his family thanks to his Kanso 2 Sound Processors made waterproof with the Aqua+ accessory†.
When we asked Jack to try the new Cochlear Kanso Halo accessory, we were keen to hear how the new optional accessory might fit into this teenager’s life.
Sasha is very positive about the new Kanso Halo accessory for Jack.
“When I think back to Jack as a baby and toddler, the idea of being able to have an off-the-ear device like the Kanso 2 still retained to the head through a small, lightweight device like the Halo would have been a real game changer for him in terms of comfort – especially compared to the pilot caps we made him wear, even in the middle of hot Australian summers.”
Describing how the Kanso Halo gives her more peace of mind as a parent, she adds. “Having spent the last 14 years consciously (or subconsciously) worried about Jack losing his processors and being without access to sound, the Halo gives me a lot more reassurance around this. “A couple of weeks ago, we did a treetop walk on a suspended metal walkway several hundred feet above the ground through the rainforest canopy. I made Jack wear a baseball cap, partly for sun safety, but also to try and hold his Kansos on his head.”
Attaching the Kanso Halo accessory is easy, says Sasha.
“With a little practice with the Hair Clips, it’s very simple to get them to grip even Jack’s very short back and sides. There’s a knack to it, but with the assistance of a mirror Jack could put the Halo on himself – after all, he does his own contact lenses!”
Have you got a super-active child or are you into high-energy sports and other activities? If so, check out the Kanso Halo accessory and get one delivered to your door via the Cochlear Store or contact Cochlear customer service.
_____
† The Cochlear Nucleus Kanso 2 Sound Processor with Aqua+ is dust and water resistant to level of IP68 of the International Standard IEC60529 and can be continuously submerged under water to a depth of up to 3 metres for up to 2 hours. Refer to the relevant User Guide for more information.
