When hearing aids benefit deaf/hh children

While growing up at around age 6 or 7 years old I received my second hearing aid after having worn out my first one that I had since age 2 1/2 years old. It wasn’t the behind the ear hearing aid but a body aid. I’ve gotten a lot of good mileage out of my old hearing aids. Obviously so because without that hearing aid of mine I wouldn’t be here where I am today. Successful and thankful with what residual hearing I had left though not perfect. It has helped me with my ongoing ragtime piano playing ever since I was seven years old. I am proud of all of my past hearing aids I've worn because each one of them I have used it with great benefit. I even remembered how I enjoyed using my hearing aid when I was little because it gave me access to the world of sound, music and voice around me. It took awhile to realize that hearing is a precious thing and a gift even if I couldn't hear perfectly. It was perfect enough for me with the help from the hearing aid technology. I even have a drawing I did when I was around 5 or 6 years old showing me as a happy kid wearing the body hearing aid. There was a time or two when I didn't like wearing my hearing aid but that phase quickly passed once I realized how important my hearing aids were to me.

Below is a picture of my old body hearing aid inside a protective case . It’s a Zenith. Along with a Battery Membership card, and a special yellow button that has as special message.

It’s so well preserved though I am sure my old hearing aid can work if I put in the right kind of battery.

Pretty fascinating on how hearing aids (even cochlear implants) have helped so many people with hearing loss. Isn’t technology great? And perhaps someday hearing aids will become obsolete with the help of biotechnology that have the ability to restore sensorineural hearing loss. It's not a matter of if but when. That day is coming whether in my lifetime or not.

Star studded performance to benefit cochlear implant recipients

Vanessa Williams to give a Benefit Performance where "a portion of the proceeds goes directly to the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation dedicated to help hearing impaired children transition to a world of sound and life through the use of cochlear implant technology."

More on Barton G. Weiss and his $5 million dollar donation to help kids (and parents) with cochlear implantation.

Last year Barton G. Weiss who is a noted restaurateur announced that his Barton g. Kids Hear Now Foundation has committed $5 million dollars to establish the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Cochlear Implant Family Resource Center at the Miller School's Ear Institute.

Weiss made the announcement at the Clinical Research Building, during a morning news conference attended by UM President Donna E. Shalala, Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, M.D., UM Ear Institute Director Thomas Balkany, M.D., and Miller School Department of Otolaryngology Chair Fred Telischi, M.D.

Weiss, whose Barton G. company is renowned for its event-management, restaurants, and off-site catering prowess, has a three-year-old daughter, Jadin, who was born unable to hear. Today, Jadin is not only hearing, but she converses in English and Spanish thanks to a cochlear implant procedure performed by Dr. Balkany.

“Three years ago my world was turned upside-down when my daughter was born profoundly deaf,” Weiss said. “It left me feeling helpless, overwhelmed and filled with fear. So today really is a dream come true.

“I am honored to help establish the Barton G. Kids Hear Now Cochlear Implant Family Resource Center,” Weiss said. “My hope is that this will allow all families, regardless of their social or economic background, to have a resource, as well as support.

“My deepest appreciation goes to Dr. Thomas Balkany, who was the surgeon who implanted my daughter – she’s a little chatterbox!” Weiss said to laughter from an audience of roughly 100 people that included many media representatives.

“It is a pleasure to be here today with my good friend Barton G. Weiss, a longtime supporter and friend of the University of Miami,” Shalala said. “Over the years, Barton has donated not only resources, but also his talent and time.

“Today he has taken that support a step further by making an incredible gift to the Miller School of Medicine.”

The goal of The Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation, which Weiss launched in 2008, is to have a direct impact on transitioning deaf children from an existence without sound to a hearing world, through the use of cochlear implant technology.

“When a child is born deaf, a cochlear implant can restore hearing and enable a child to develop normal speech, when the procedure is performed at the appropriate time,” Dean Goldschmidt said. “Barton G. Weiss knows firsthand what a parent faces when they learn their child is deaf, and that is why he formed The Barton G. Kids Hear Now Foundation — so no other parent will have to go through the process alone.”

Personal money was donated, star studded performances to help raise money to help benefit cochlear implant recipients, more donations, more charitable organizations and greater exposure on the miracle of cochlear implant just keeps getting better and better every year.

Deaf man hears sound of piano for the first time

From the award winning documentary, "From Silence to Sound," :

Brooklyn Girl Productions presents the New York City premiere of the award-winning documentary film From Silence to Sound at the New York International Film Festival on Friday, October 23, 2009.

From Silence to Sound is an inspiring film that tells the extraordinary story of Justin Garrett, a man who has been profoundly deaf since birth. On March 13, 2006, Justin made history as the first recipient of a bilateral cochlear implant in Oklahoma.

Director Chase Matthews offers this moving documentary about Justin Garrett, a completely deaf young man who, in 2006, agreed to undergo radical cochlear implant surgery that could possibly make him hear for the first time. Matthews follows Justin as he prepares for, submits to and recovers from the high-stakes surgery. Success will reverse Justin’s condition, but failure will irrevocably destine him to a lifetime of total silence.

Imagine...no deaf babies.

To celebrate the recent news of the advancing biotechnology that will one day, very soon, offer those with hearing loss the opportunity to have their hearing loss cured, I have a new product at my Kokonut Pundit's store. I am introducing a new design on a t-shirt for those who share the same hope that someday biotechnology will offer a medical solution to help restore or cure hearing loss that affect 30 million people in the United States. And help spread the awareness of these amazing biomedical advances.

Deaf Children Can Learn to Talk

While growing up at around age 6 or 7 years old I received my second hearing aid after having worn my first one since age 2 1/2 years old. It wasn’t the behind the ear hearing aid but a body aid. I’ve gotten a lot of good mileage out of my old hearing aid. Obviously so because without that hearing aid of mine I wouldn’t be here where I am today. Successful. And it has helped me with my ongoing Ragtime and early Jazz piano playing, too, ever since I was seven years old when I began playing. I am proud about all of my past hearing aids to the present because I have used them with great benefit.

Below is a picture of my hearing aid inside a protective case. It’s a Zenith. Along with a Battery Membership card, and that special yellow button as you can see what it says.


(see a larger picture here)

It’s so well preserved though I am sure it can work if I put in the right kind of battery in. But is my old hearing aid considered as an “antique” one since it’s approximately 38 years old? And that got me wondering. Is there a hearing aid museum somewhere in the Untied States? I was pretty sure there ought to be a few of them around. And sure enough there is one.

Pretty fascinating on how hearing aids (even cochlear implants!) have helped so many people with hearing loss. Isn’t technology great? And soon enough well have biotechnology to finally help restore hearing loss someday.

WARNING: - If you go into an apoplectic fit after reading this, read it again just to be sure. Step back and breathe slowly before responding. And please leave your conspiracy theories at home about me and this blog piece. Thank you.