I do who finish work for a construction company here in D.C. and I really
enjoy that immensely but when I get on that bike and the wheels start the roll,
it's beyond words. I love the feeling it gives me, but three years
ago I lost my hearing and everything changed.
My name is John Anderson and I received cochlear implants and my hearing was
restored at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.
What I thought was just a head cold turned out to be, within one month, sudden hearing loss.
No sound whatsoever and it's something they can't explain. I was nervous I was terrified it
was frightening. Dr. Hoa is very kind, he's very caring.
He has such a tremendous demeanor and I couldn't have asked for anyone better.
He explained that people with sudden hearing loss you know are candidates for
cochlear implant. The implant is a mechanical device where sound comes in
through a microphone, is transferred through an external magnet that is
engaged with a magnet that's embedded in the skull with these electrodes on it.
The electrodes are pushed into your cochlear so they bypass the middle ear
where normal hearing occurs. Sound travels through the electrodes into your
cochlear and you have sound. So it's something very simple it
just puts it over here, magnet's on, and you hear. So, it processes sound,
passes through the magnet, the magnet is engaged with a magnet that's implanted
in your skull and it sounds like it's coming through your ear.
Dr. Michael Hoa performed my surgery on both sides and I think it's pretty
remarkable how far I've been able to come and what I have for a life now.
You know, when I lost my hearing I lost my confidence. You can't see behind you.
Your ears give you that sight and I don't own a car so I became a pedestrian and I
just walked everywhere but with the cochlear implants I ride with such
confidence now.
I traverse this city, whipping out of traffic, going here and going there. It's
like no worries and I am a licensed cyclist and I do compete in professional
races still and I ride for a professional team. I biked across the
United States three times and I was able to race in Spain with a high-level
international racing team. You know, I felt deeply I had lost so much but to
have rehearing restored, the sense that I get now on my bike is actually
greater than before. I enjoy it so much more now, you know, the ability to
have such an enhanced life through hearing... it's changed my life so much for
the better. Of course now I can go into great detail with a customer or an
architect or a designer and I really enjoy that aspect that, for close to a
year, was gone. So, the MedStar Georgetown experience was absolutely
wonderful. Not only were they professional, but they were kind, they
were caring. I knew from day one that I made the right choice. So, I'm thankful,
I'm still in amazement and I'm very, very grateful for what I've been given.