Implant One, five years gone

Yep 12 November marks my first five year's use of cochlear implants.

What an amazing device.

Where would I be without it/them?

It'd be hard work, all visual cues and clues. I suppose I might have learnt signing language but I don't know anyone who does it. My clients certainly don't. So I couldn't work, unless I changed jobs. Communication would become almost entirely text-based.

Travel would be incredibly difficult. I could no longer travel alone. People around the world don't sign.

I could see how I could become insignificant. Could I still write things I couldn't hear! Could I sing any more? Maybe I could - when I do, I imagine how it sounds as I do it, but is that enough? You don't see "music by deaf people" out there.

Not that I'm significant now.

When I received the second one in 2010 it filled in a big gap. There's still gaps, not so much physical as usage-related, understanding. Let's hope they can be filled by forthcoming technology.

5 years gone

Yep

Five years since that fateful day in 2008. It seems like a long time ago. Like I've always had these devices on the back of my head. But I still forget them too. 

Maybe it's familiarity breeding contempt for them hmmm. 

But so much has happened. 

Round-the-World

Italy

US

New house

New neighbours

VegPatch, worm farm

Father gone

Subaru gone, the Bluebird has come

New recipes

New computer stuff

What will happen in the next five years?

Featured in a Publication, Me!

The Chris O'Brien Lifehouse at RPA [that big new building on Missenden Rd] have an article with me in their Winter Update! I wrote it actually - "Be positive and write about it"
Of course the magazine is about fund-raising and raising awareness for those 1000s of people who pass thru the RPA facilities every year. Too many.

Some make it, some don't. Thats just the way it is. I'm one of the lucky ones.

The article will be available online soon. And you'll be able to see my ever-hopeful countenance beaming from the virtual page. Jeez I'm handsome. I'll update this page when it's available.

I do have nothing but admiration for the dedicated and generous staff of the Head and Neck clinic and RPA generally. Maybe the Lifehouse is a worthy recipient of any donations you might have lying around the house…

Watch this space

- S P A C E -

Link - http://www.lifehouserpa.org.au/

Five Years re-Hearing

That's right

A few milestones coming up.
June 10 [or 13**] it'll be 11 years since I finished cancer treatment. That seems like sooooo long ago.

July 31 is the day I woke up deaf, this year is the fifth anniversary. Of course this led to being fitted with these devices and amazingly entitled me to the title "cyborg" [Thanx Michael Chorost!]. On the one hand it seems like only yesterday, but on the other, I've been using them forever, seems so natural.

Here's the original letter link - http://ilsordo.blogspot.com.au/2008/02/original-letter-to-friends-clients-and.html

Michael Chorost
Check out the books - very interesting
http://www.michaelchorost.com/

** Postscript - It was actually Monday 10 June 2002. Confirmed. In concrete. That's it.

AND

In October it will be five years since the first wondrous device was jammed inside the right side of my head.