Being ignorant is not an excuse.
Next, I bet with this viral video it will push a 2nd wave of interest from people wanting to know more about the Esteem implantable hearing aid and perhaps get even more investors for the makers of Esteem. Last year Rush Limbaugh helped advertise the Esteem hearing aid and saw a huge wave of interest in this new albeit very expensive hearing technology.
Thanks in large part to Limbaugh's plug on his radio show, White Bear Lake, Minn.-based Envoy recently raised another $16.4 million, including $10 million from hearing aid powerhouse Starkey Laboratories Inc., for its Esteem implantable hearing device.Nice of Starkey Laboratories to donate $10 million dollars to Envoy as a worthy cause.
And lastly, as I mull this thought, I wonder what are the odds that Limbaugh will read about this YouTube viral on his radio show? I'd say it'd be pretty good odds over the next few days or so for that to happen.
UPDATE: For the naysayers, haters and doubters:
The Texan woman had been wearing hearing aids from the age of two, but had mainly relied on lip-reading, because 'hearing aids only help so much'.
Supportive messages have poured in from viewers, including one who wrote: 'This is one of the most beautiful and moving things I've witnessed. We're all so happy for you.'
Mrs Churman replied on YouTube: 'Thank you for all the positive comments... thanks for all the people who are kind.'
In response to viewers who were amazed at her ability to speak clearly, the formerly deaf woman said: 'My whole life I've been complimented on how well I speak.
'I don't really have an answer for you other than I have always had a passion for reading, grammar, and English.
'My hearing loss was/is considered severe to profound. I've worked very hard to be able to interact and blend in... only thing I can say is 'God is good'.'
19 comments:
Mike,
I would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly furnish me with more information about the lady who heard for the first time in 29 years following the implanted hearing aid. I watched her being interviewed by Today's Matt Lauer this morning. The lady was not accompanied by an interpreter. She did not lipread Mr. Lauer at all either. CIers I know have told me that they still need interpreters because they are not familiar with hearing strangers' voices even though they were implanted during their childhood years. It has been a well-established fact that the two implanted sisters surnamed Chaikoff required years of AVT Therapy. Hence, my two questions are: (1) No one can understand what is spoken and/or said if without AVT therapy for 29 years. By magic that she was able to follow Mr. Lauer's interview? Utterly impossible. It requires a numner of years of practice and practice. (2) How does she turn her hearing aid off when going to bed? People with normal hearing often tell me how they wish they were deaf so they would not wake up at night. Nothing is magical.
Sign me as
Jean Boutcher the Sceptic
No two people are alike when it comes to on the ability to speak and hear.
See my recent update.
Turning on and off the Esteem hearing aid is done using a remote control.
@Mike and Jean, I am a bilateral CIer and do not utilize AVT when I was implanted and activated with the CIs. I have a Genetic Sensineural Hearing Loss and do not utilize a sign language interpreter when talking with one to one or in a small group of people. If the environment is in a classroom, conference, and so forth, I would utilize CART and love it.
Speaking about Envoy Esteem implant, it is designed for moderate to severe hearing loss including sensineural hearing loss. I have the website that you can look at for yourself to understand what exactly is Esteem Envoy as the 29 years old Texan woman has. The website is: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AdvisoryCommittees/CommitteesMeetingMaterials/MedicalDevices/MedicalDevicesAdvisoryCommittee/EarNoseandThroatDevicesPanel/UCM194431.pdf
I hope this helps to clarify the misunderstanding what exactly Envoy Esteem is. It is very different than the cochlear implants. Personally, I think a lot of Deaf people do not bother to read closely and to try to understand what exactly the implant is. It would not be for the people, who have profound hearing loss at all.
WisDeaf
Sorry to say that, Mike, I have to agree with Jean B. Overall, I was not impressed with Sarah C.'s outcome. My gut feeling about her for being a deaf person is hypocrite.
She has some residual hearing in which means that she might have the sensorineural hearing loss. I truly think that her eardrum "did not" function very well. So, to me she is/was not a "deaf" woman.
So she's using the "Esteem works" material.
White Ghost
It amazes me to see how people choose to continue being ignorant. I thought you pointed out the obvious when you said "no two people are alike when it comes to on the ability to speak and hear". These deaf people hate stereotyping but yet they're doing it to themselves, thinking that ALL deaf people can not speak fluently. This is beyond weird. This is ignorance.
Holism, this is what I refuse to do when it comes to people who are either hh or deaf when it comes to listening and speaking skills. No two people are alike. Difference experiences, different types of hearing loss, and different set of skills and abilities set us apart.
White Ghost, if her ear drum did not work then the Esteem cannot work either. Review this captioned video on how it works where a functioning ear drum is required for it to work.
http://www.envoymedical.com/flvplayer/play.php?v=Esteem_VO&t=How%20Esteem%20Works&ml=5&mlt=system&tmpl=component
It is designed for people with sensorineural hearing loss or nerve deafness inside the cochlea. Also, White Ghost, Susan said, "My hearing loss was/is considered severe to profound. I've worked very hard to be able to interact and blend in....." People with sensorineural hearing loss at that level of loss can and able to recognize the spoken word without looking. With the Esteem it makes sound with much more clarity and richness, and natural sounding.
Well, Mike,
When Sarah was two years old, her parents learned the Cochlear Implantation (CI) that would not qualify due to the Decibals regulation (85/90 or above to qualify for CI) for Sarah C. by the Doctors or Audiologists, what kind of medical diagnosis would they label her? She had worn her hearing aids since she was two years old. It worked for her.
Something is fishy.
To me, her medical condition is inconclusive.
White Ghost
Even though I am severe-to-profound oral only deaf since birth and wore hearing aids since I was three, Even my HEARING husband (who was born and raised in hearing only household) think this girl is not telling the whole story. He have a hard time believing a born deaf/hearing aid user, OR someone who have somewhat a similar background as I do, can speak so clear as if she was hearing all her life since birth. These naysayers are not coming from deaf people, but from hearing people as well. Like my husband, they just have a hard time believing this is possible.. rather they met a deaf person or not.
"Sarah Churman, 29, from Texas, was born with a genetic deformity that left her with a severe hearing impairment."
Story here
Anony, remember the adage, no two person are alike in their speaking abilities and skills when it comes to their hearing loss. The crucial key is early intervention. The earlier, the better. She was outfitted with a hearing aid at two plus, as it looks, had tons of support for her.
"I was born deaf and 8 weeks ago I received a hearing implant," she writes below the video. "This is the video of them turning it on and me hearing myself for the first time :) "
Story here
One of my puzzlements is I do not understand why the Deaf communities would be concern about her at this point since she is not associated with the Deaf Culture at all. She appears to be involved with either HOH and/or hearing communities since she does not appears to sign at all. Is this a correct assumption or not?
Anon at 4:22 pm, I speak very clearly and do not have any accents unless you wanted to called, "Midwestern Accent". I do recalled that my sister used to hear me speaking with a nasal sounds like the French people speak. Once I had the cochlear implants, it disappeared and surprised my sister quite a bit. She, also, said that my spoken language has improved dramatically and sounded like a hearing person. It is similar with my working environment. That is because with stronger the technology it is, the more clear and precise we are able to hear ourselves speak. You would be very surprised to see how many can speak clearly with those mechanical devices. For the majority, it is a tremendous help!
Again, I can related some things with her about how nice to hear things. On the other hand, there are some noises that I do not like to hear. We have the option to take our CI off as well as she can with her remote. How convenience! Heh Heh.
WisDeaf
Ask your sis what she think if the video, she probably feel the same way as my husband. I am curious.
Btw, i don't see how technology was any different as I am nearly the same age as her. And I started wear HAs before I entered preschool so I am guessing three years old or could be younger as my older sister was diagnosed when I was born. Anyway, it's the fact that she is born deaf and could not hear herself well, even with hearing aids,and yet speaks like a hearing person (as in no hearing loss whatsoever) that made my husband thinks she is not telling the whole story.
Anony @ 11:37PM, ever consider the fact that no two deaf persons are alike in experiences and skills when it comes to the ability to speak? She speaks well like a "hearing person," so what? She's deaf. So am I. I'm also considered as a hh person, too and people wouldn't know they'd be talking to a person who is deaf/hh. Why the fixation over the fact that she speaks very well like a "hearing person"?
I've read your post, and I read the post by Holism as well. I share the same concern as both of you about how so many of us are treating this woman's experience.
I have a friend, Deaf since birth, who reads lips better than I. She speaks well, and most people would not know she is Deaf. She has had to sign for me what others were saying to me, and help me follow the conversation. I used to be able to hear well when I was young, now I am deaf. We are all at different communication levels and needs. What works for some, will not for others.
We should be be happy for this woman in the video to have found something that successfully works for her. This is her choice, and we should respect that, just as we would want our own choice respected if our choice were NOT to try this technology.
We should not think that because a person makes a choice different from our own that it is a personal attack on our own preference or lifestyle choice.
We are free to make these choices and to follow the pursuit of our happiness. We should respect this same freedom for others. This is a protected right.
Mike, I am not saying that, its my husband and other hearing people who are saying that. I've seen CI moms saying that too. Yes, deaf people speak well but they still think the video might be fake. It doesn't matter if I think every deaf person is different (and I was only replying to wisdeaf as he think advanced technology have something to do with it and I'm trying to point out in this case, it has nothing to do with it. Like you wrote, every deaf is different)
You think deaf community are the only one who are skepical? I've seen many MORE hearing who are skeptical because of her speaking ability(mainly because how it was worded on youtube.she did not mention hearing aids or anything, but those who do work with the deaf are saying they never met a deaf who speak so clear)
What up, Mike? Long time no see. Still busy as hell as I'm bearing the torture of skewl life.
Anyhoo, dude... I tell you this -- them r Deaf haters are always gonna be a hater. Hell, I've been dissed just because I wear dem hearing aids, despite my background of being a Deaf person. Something's truly wrong with dis picture. They claim I'm an audist? Oh, please. -sneering at dem Deaf haters- I'm cool beans with dem Deaf likers who takes all dem Deafies (Deafs, Hearing Aids, CI, Esteem, etc), nevertheless. The rest... -cued cough-
It's simply a retardation in the works, mon.
Jean,
AVT therapy is good for the first 5 or 6 years...not well into adulthood.
Why would it be inconceivable that Sarah could follow what Matt Lauer was saying? He was sitting on her left where she got her implant in her left ear. She could either be picking it up fully what he was saying without looking or used a combination of some lip reading and listening to what he was saying. He's sitting a friggin 3 feet away from her while facing her.
@anonymous 12:37pm
Those hearing people are probably the same ones who think the deafs cannot drive.
Post a Comment