[ Silence ]
[Music]
>> Female: My daughter, Geneva, was born in January 2007.
When she was six weeks old, my husband and I found
out that she was profoundly deaf.
A few months later we learned that the cause
of her deafness was genetic, and that she would probably benefit
from a cochlear implant.
It was a tough decision, because a cochlear implant requires
major surgery.
It requires drilling through the skull into the inner ear,
and threading an Elektroda Ray [assumed spelling]
into the cochlea.
But in the end my husband and I agreed
that a cochlear implant would offer Geneva the best chance
at learning English and learning to talk.
We were relieved when she came through the surgery
with no complications, and we anxiously looked forward
to her activation day one month later.
That's when Geneva would receive the external components
of her implant, and she would hear sound for the first time.
There was lots of information to take in on activation day,
not the least of which was learning about the equipment.
The external components consisted of the battery,
the speech processor, which is like a mini computer,
and the magnetic coil which connects the external gear
to the implant inside Geneva's head.
But our biggest challenge that day and in the several days
that followed proved not to be in the operating
of the equipment, but in keeping the equipment on her head.
[ Music ]
>> Slowly, but surely, we were able
to get the equipment on Geneva's head.
The most important part was the magnetic coil,
which is where sound is actually transmitted
from the external equipment to the implant in inner ear.
No sound is received through the ear.
The ear is just a convenient hook
to hang the microphone and processor on.
Before turning on the microphone,
our audiologist hooked Geneva's processor up to a computer
and sent sound directly into the implant.
This helped the audiologist set the initial levels
of the equipment.
The idea was to give Geneva a small window of sound first,
and then to gradually open that window wider
over the next few weeks.
It took a while for Geneva to respond to the beeps,
but eventually she did.
[ Sounds ]
>> Male: [Inaudible].
>> Female 2: Yeah, it's stopping right up here mostly.
>> Male: [Inaudible].
I can't do it again.
>> Female: Sound.
>> Male: Ah, yes.
>> Female: Look a there.
>> Male: Oh.
>> Female: Oh, trick.
>> Female: Each time Geneva responded
to a beep the audiologist would light up a box
that had either a dancing dinosaur or a dancing dog.
>> Female: What's gonna happen?
>> Female 2: [Inaudible].
>> Female: Oh.
>> Male: Oh, gosh.
>> Female: [Inaudible].
It's different, huh?
[ Sounds ]
>> Hearing tests with kids as young as Geneva can be tricky.
There's a fine balance between playing with them
to keep them engaged and creating
such a stimulating environment
that they don't bother to listen.
Learning to listen is a key concept for kids
with cochlear implants.
Geneva may have been a little too interested in these blocks
to respond to some of the beeps.
[ Sounds ]
>> Female: Yeah, oh, oh, it's a dancing dinosaur.
>> Male: Yeah.
>> Female: After the initial levels were set,
it was time to turn on Geneva's microphone.
Because she has only one implant, she would have no idea
where sounds were coming from.
This is the first time she had ever heard my voice.
>> Female 2: I wanna see how she does.
She will tell us.
Okay, here I go, turn it on, okay?
>> Female: Okay.
Hi, Geneva.
Hi. Hi. Do you hear something in the mic?
It's okay.
>> Male: Hi, Geneva.
>> Female: [Inaudible].
Oh, you're good.
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Female: Wow.
Hello, Geneva.
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Female: What is that?
Do you hear something?
Hmm? Hi.
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Female: Hi.
Are you [inaudible]?
>> Female 2: No, [inaudible].
I can't really turn it [inaudible].
It's getting a little louder so if she's uncomfortable
and she pops up, it's okay.
>> Female: Ready?
Is it on?
>> Female 2: It's on.
>> Female: It's on?
It's on. Is something different?
I think it is.
Is this fun?
Hmm?
>> Male: Hi, Geneva.
Hi, Geneva.
>> Female: Daddy's talking.
>> Female: Eventually it was time to head home.
[ Sounds ]
A couple of months after the activation, it was time to go
into the sound booth, and to try to get a sense
of how much Geneva was hearing.
I knew she was hearing a lot because she'd react
to even soft sounds at home, such as the sound
of a spray bottle as I cleaned the kitchen counters.
And she was babbling a lot too.
But this would be the first thorough
and systematic assessment of her hearing
since the implant was activated.
>> Female 2: It's beautiful.
Yeah, it's looking good.
>> Female: Here we go.
>> Female 2: You ready to play?
You ready to play some games?
>> Female: Ready?
Do you wanna go for a walk?
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Female 2: Let's go, take a walk.
[ Music ]
>> Female: In the sound booth the audiologist played music
over a speaker at various volumes and frequencies,
and we waited for Geneva to respond.
[Music & Sounds]
>> Unfortunately she was scared of the light-up faces
on the wall that were supposed
to provide positive reinforcement.
>> It's okay.
It's okay.
Yeah, yeah, yay, good job.
Do you hear it?
>> Despite Geneva's discomfort in the sound booth,
the results were astounding.
Before the implant, her hearing was tested
up to the levels shown by the red oval.
Geneva couldn't hear anything.
Now she was hearing at a level of a mild
to moderate hearing loss, as shown by the yellow oval.
And that's just what we could gauge
from her behavioral responses.
Her progress has continued to astound my husband and I.
In this clip, notice how she responds to our question,
with no visual cues from us.
>> Uh-oh, uh-oh.
Where's your foot?
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Uh-oh.
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Male: Do you want your shoes?
Do you wanna put your shoes back on?
>> Geneva: Shoes?
>> Male: Shoes, do you want them back on?
>> Geneva: [Inaudible].
>> Male: No?
>> Geneva: Shoes.
>> Male: Do you want your shoes back on?
>> Geneva: [Inaudible].
>> Male: No?
Okay.
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Male: Where's your shovel?
Where's your shovel?
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Male: Your shovel, where's your shovel?
I see it.
>> Female: Can you give the shovel to mommy?
>> Male: Can you give the shovel to --
yeah, that's right, that's your shovel.
Can you give the shovel to mom?
Can you give the shovel to mommy?
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Male: Yeah, give the shovel to mom.
Need help?
>> Geneva: [Coos].
>> Male: Yeah, what's mommy doing?
She's burying your feet, huh?
Wanna bury your feet again?
Let's bury your feet.
Here we go.
[Inaudible].
Where's your foot?
Where is it?
Where's your foot?
I don't see it.
Oh, oh. [Inaudible].
>> Female: Do you hear birds?
Do you hear a bird?
>> Male: Do you hear a bird?
I hear birds.
>> Geneva: [Coos].
[ Music ]