Tale of a hypocrisy and Marlee Matlin

News is still reverberating about the latest development on the treatment for hearing loss when gerbils in a laboratory were deliberately made deaf had their hearing loss reversed using human embryonic stem cells.

The stem cells were used to make immature nerve cells. Those were then transplanted into the deaf ears of 18 gerbils.  

Ten weeks later, the rodents' hearing ability had improved by an average of 46 percent, with recovery ranging from modest to almost complete, the researchers reported.

Not totally a cure yet but certainly in that direction that hearing loss or nerve deafness can certainly be reversed.  A key conceptual working model demonstrated here using the medical knowledge and technique that can readily be applied on humans, and that adult stem cells would be used as well.

With that news Marlee Matlin was asked about the medical break through with stem cells.

“Think about this. What if someone told you that you could’ve been made different than the content person you are with genetics. Would you? Now think how millions of deaf people who lead productive lives, would feel when told that babies born deaf can be ‘cured’.”  

Matlin also told followers, “Be proud of who you are, regardless of what people think is a “handicap” or “normal.” Normal is what you want to be. Don’t let anyone tell you who or what you should be.”

The problem here in reference to the yellow highlighted part above is that parents of deaf or hard of hearing babies have the parental and legal right to make an informed decision regarding the use of stem cells to reverse their baby's hearing loss once that procedure becomes safely available. They can either go forward with the treatment or reject it. And odds are quite high that most parents will prefer to opt for the stem cells treatment than to forego it. This would be absolutely true when we have someday stem cells that can reverse blindness or low vision condition would parents opt for that treatment for their blind or low vision babies. Chances are high that culturally deaf parents of a deaf/blind baby would stop at nothing to see that their baby get the stem cells treatment for blindness but not deafness when they value more on vision than hearing. Just as any parents would see any other medical condition would they like to see reversed for their babies. A hypocrisy in action folks. In fact, there wouldn't be any outcry from the culturally deaf community if there was a stem cells treatment that could reverse vision loss in babies, children, teens and adults.

But here's another "hypocrisy" about Marlee Matlin's. She champions for the donation of free hearing aids to deaf and hard of children around the world with the Starkey Hearing Foundation. I think this is great! In fact she regularly attends this annual gala event called, "So the world may hear." This year's gala 2012 event raised a record $7.6 million dollars and had many notable celebrities like:

President Bill Clinton, Maria Bello, Robin Williams, Marlee Matlin, Billy Crystal, Forest Whitaker and Sammy Sosa attended this year's Awards Gala, which raised a record $7.6M. But the biggest star was the power of hearing.

And yet she warns us about stem cells treatment for hearing loss? What's her stance on stem cells treatment for curing blindness or low vision in babies?

The power of hearing. Yes, that's a strong draw and reason for people to support on finding ways to alleviate hearing loss. Even Lou Ferrigno (who received his Esteem Envoy implantable hearing aid) and Gary Busey (Marlee Matlin confronted Busey his hearing loss that he needs to get a hearing aid seen in the Celebrity Apprentice show by which $1 million dollar was raised for Starkey Hearing Foundation) who were at the gala event as well. It won't be long until celebrities support for the cure for hearing loss through stem cells treatment.

Now, here's the irony.

Marlee Matlin is perhaps unwittingly helping people understand and value the power of hearing for several years by attending the "So the World May Hear" gala annual event that began in 1984 and supports the distribution of free hearing aids to children around the world. Deaf and hard of hearing children around the world with their free hearing aids are getting a taste of that power of hearing and experience the joy of being able to hear sound.  And with that taste in mind already experienced they certainly would want to opt for stem cells treatment to reverse their own hearing loss if they had that choice and the means to do so.

Now, I'm sure some in the culturally deaf community would express their shock and outrage over this but let me remind some of the culturally deaf people that the bulk of their community do wear hearing aids and cochlear implants. Look around whenever you are with a group of deaf and hard of hearing friends. How many of them are wearing hearing aids and cochlear implants? Why are they wearing hearing aids? Why cochlear implants? What makes you think they would not want to opt for stem cells treatment to reverse or simply improve their own hearing?  What makes you think they would not support parental rights to make an informed decision to provide stem cells treatment to reverse hearing loss for their deaf/hh babies?

So, who is really showing the hypocrisy here?

Is the death of culturally deaf community that far behind? Or is it just plain paranoia? 

Sarah Churman's new book....Powered On

Remember Sarah Churman with almost 14 million hits to date on YouTube? Yeah, you remember her (and all the hate or lamentations that followed like here,  here, here, here, here, ....ad nauseum) and the Esteem Envoy implantable hearing aid that was turned on for the first time and it turned Sarah Churman into an overnight internet sensation. That sensation is still continuing almost a year later with the ongoing media coverage.  Anyways, she has a new book coming out in October. The book is called "Powered On."  The title certainly does make sense. And if you pre-order now you can save a few bucks before her book comes out officially in October. I already ordered mine! And I'll let you know when I'm done reading it. I'm sure it's much better than buying a blank book under false advertisement and pretenses (oh, I never bought it, fyi) but I still reserve that the Steve Jobs book I got would be the better one to read and enjoy. We'll see. Get yours today!

Lou Ferrigno gets Envoy Esteem hearing implant

I was watching the last episode of Celebrity Apprentice when Lou Ferrigno announced during the live show that he can now hear better with his new Esteem implantable hearing device.

Lou Ferrigno, the actor who played the Hulk on the 1970s TV show "The Incredible Hulk," has begun using an implantable hearing aid from Minnesota's Envoy Medical Corp. Ferrigno, who's had hearing problems since he was young, said last weekend on the finale of Celebrity Apprentice (he was fired in April) that he received the Esteem medical implant, made by White Bear Lake-based Envoy.

In fact, this was successfully kept underwraps until Medical Envoy released a press release yesterday, the day after the show that was aired on Sunday, about Lou and his new implant and successful it was that Lou even cried once it was activated.

Profoundly hard of hearing since two years old, Lou Ferrigno revealed last night on The Celebrity Apprentice that he recently underwent a surgical procedure to restore his hearing, with the Esteem® Device, manufactured by Envoy Medical Corporation. The device is a fully implantable prosthetic cochlea stimulator, designed to do just that. It has no microphones or speakers. It is invisible. Except that Lou knows it was implanted, he has no sense of it being in his body. But he can hear. And according to Lou Ferrigno, it "is a miracle." "Lou's dream has always been to hear like everyone else," said Carla, his wife of 32 years, who encouraged Lou to have the procedure. Now, Lou says he has "natural hearing and can hear things he has never heard before or could have ever hoped to hear." Birds chirping, rain on his roof, his alarm clock in the morning (scares the heck out of him, he says laughing) the tiniest sounds of his fingers moving together, the refrigerator's quiet motor, but most importantly, the ability to hear people in everyday conversation, even in a noisy environment, like a restaurant. "Everything is so loud and so clear," says the actor, who is still trying to figure out certain, never before heard sounds. Ferrigno said he "can't wait to get his second ear done,"

The device was implanted by Dr. Michael Murray of San Jose CA, who has performed hundreds of Esteem® procedures and is booked through September. Lou Ferrigno's surgery was performed in Houston, Texas at Envoy Medical's private ("decadent," according to Murray) surgical center. The entire procedure costs approximately $37,000 for the device and the surgery, and according to Ferrigno, "is worth a lot more." Approved in a 15 to 0 unanimous, independent panel vote by the FDA, the Esteem® is indicated for moderate to severe hearing loss, in people with sensorineural hearing loss (about 85% of all hearing loss sufferers). It replaces conventional hearing aids for those who qualify. The Esteem® Device is also approved by the VA (Veterans Administration) for those who qualify and have it prescribed by their VA audiologist and ENT specialist.

The device works by leveraging the natural anatomy of a person's own body. Sound enters the ear naturally. The natural vibrations of the eardrum are sensed and sent to a microprocessor implanted under the skin behind the ear. The vibrations are intensified and sent to the cochlea via the stapes. The tiny remaining hair cells in the cochlea pick up the vibrations and send them to the brain where they are interpreted as sound. The result, according to the successful recipients, including Lou Ferrigno, is beyond anything a hearing aid can offer. Ferrigno is still amazed at how well it works. "No more hearing aids for me," Lou Ferrigno exclaims with a huge smile on his face. Tears fell from his eyes upon activation. Ferrigno, dumbfounded, said "he was advised by his audiologist not to have the procedure." "Go Figure?" said Ferrigno. Lou said he "hasn't felt this good since he won the Mr. Universe competition."

This is great for Lou. I'm sure he's happy with it as you can see.....just like Sarah Churman.

When haters gonna still hate....and the clueless ones continue to be clueless...

Amazing and touching video of a young woman turning on her implantable Esteem hearing aid for the first time. This YouTube video has gone viral with 4.8 million views and counting with over 20,000 comments along with over 49,000 likes and over 700 dislikes. Good thing the majority knows better and knows what a good thing looks like. Kudos to Sarah Churman for a successful implant but then the sad thing is that you'll get your usual haters in the comment section as always by a bunch of idiots who don't know any better. And then you have a bunch of ignorant people who can't even understand that deaf/hh people can speak just fine. And if you look further you might find a few gems.You'll have to spend some time to find and read those comments including the Today show. And, of course, you gotta go to this forum with the discussion on whether the video is a fake or not. 

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'.'