Miracles

Yesterday was the day for Cliff to start hearing again.  Most of the professionals we've met with up to this time had cautioned Cliff not to worry about how silly people's voices sound at first with a cochlear implant.  They told him it takes a lot of time to get used to new hearing.  So we were both a little nervous about what would take place, and how long it might take him to get back to decent hearing levels.

Imagine Cliff's surprise when he could hear as soon as the doctor activated it and turned it on!  He told us we sounded like Donald Duck, but he could hear what the doctor and I were saying to him, and that's before she even spent an hour or so getting it tuned up properly for him.

Here's what he looks like with his new stuff.  It's a whole different thing than a hearing aid.  It doesn't just "help" you hear better, it IS your hearing, once you get it.  

We'll go back in a week so the doctor can make sure he's doing things right, and it sounds like we'll be making more trips through the underbelly of Kansas City, but it's definitely worth a few trips. 

Here's the doctor, explaining all the bells and whistles that go with Cliff's new "ear".  Shortly before we were ready to leave, I asked her, "How does it feel, helping God do miracles like this?"

Obviously it feels pretty good, because I could see I had made her sort of emotional with my question.  She explained that when she was young, she had some sort of project that had to do with helping in a school for the deaf.  After she heard about cochlear implants, from that time on, she set out to make that her line of work... helping people to hear!  And now, she told us, "This is what I do, all I do, every day.  I love it."

I don't know how much our cost will be for this.  All I've done was submit Cliff's Medicare card and later pay $25 for our part of a couple of payments.  But whatever the cost, it's going to be worth it.

Now the suffering is going to be mine:  Cliff turns the TV down so far I can't even hear it, and he talks so quietly, he may as well be whispering, because I can't tell what he's saying.  I probably could use hearing aids, but I have enough trouble keeping my glasses comfortable without putting them on ears that  have a thingamajiggie on top of them.

Humbug!