Deaf twins receive life-changing implants
A set of profoundly deaf identical twins can now hear music, play the violin and listen out for the ice-cream van thanks to their cochlear implants.
Eight-year-old Fae and Mae Al-Kalamchi, pupils at Ewell Junior School, both have a condition affecting their vestibular aqueduct, which connects the inner ear to the cranial cavity, and it can cause complete hearing loss, short memory and tiredness.
Mae was two-and-a-half-years-old when tests revealed she was deaf and Fae, the oldest twin by four minutes, was five when she lost her hearing suddenly at Christmas 2003.
Click here to read more about Mae and Fae.
Comments
I can do or hear all of the above too. I don't have cochlear implants. I use hearing aids instead.
Cochlear implant doesn't seem to give any advantages over hearing aids apart from destroying any residental hearing and leaving you stuck with whatever current technology at time of implanting while I can go on to better hearing aids that give better sound.
Posted by: J | April 30, 2006 11:50 AM
J You might be able to hear all of the above without a CI, but the twins couldn't. So what you may or may not be able to hear with your hearing aids is irrelevant.
As for CI's not given any advantages over hearing aids. With my HA's I couldn't use a phone. With my CI I can. With my HAs I couldn't watch TV without subtitles. With my CI I can. With my HA's I couldn't listen to football commentary on the radio. With my CI I can. With my HA's it was very difficult to follow meetings at work. With my CI I have very few problems. Need I go on.
Posted by: S | April 30, 2006 07:38 PM