Sam's Hearing Life
July 1, 2008
May 2008 - I DID IT!
Going through memory lane of my high school years…
9th Grade – I was struggling in school trying to keep my grades at
least a B+ while my hearing continued getting worse to where I was
missing a lot and my speech discrimination was decreasing. I tired
everal different hearing aids maxing out the settings and volumes
realizing that hearing aids really weren’t helping me. I was not really
involved with school clubs and pretty much stayed to myself.
--Summer-– I got the Cochlear Implant.
10th Grade – I had to relearn sounds all over again and get used to
life with the Cochlear Implant - 8 hour batteries, no leaning up
against the fridge or the car, dealing with hearing my dogs licking
themselves all the time, etc. My grades in school were getting better
and I was starting to become more confident with my hearing and slowly
tarted getting more involved with clubs.
--Summer-- VolunTEEN for the first time in the OR at the Children’s
Hospital.
11th Grade - I got the new Harmony Cochlear Implant. I was hearing
great and loved being able to hear and talk to my friends. I made
traight A’s in school and became really involved with clubs and
planning Prom and Homecoming events. Started taking the SAT and ACT’s
getting ready for college.
--Summer–- VolunTEEN again in the OR at the Children’s Hospital. Got
asked out for the first time and became obsessed with Swing Dancing.
12th Grade - Still hearing great, making straight A’s in school,
taying involved with clubs and Swing Dancing all the time. I got
accepted to my dream college (Berry College) getting amazing
cholarships for my hearing and academics.
---MAY 24, 2008 – I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL ---
My Grandparents and me by my graduation sign!
My parents and me
My brother, Jonathan, and me
(he was ushering with the ROTC at my Graduation)
Me with some friends after Graduation
Now, as you can probably tell, before I got the Implant my life was
pretty boring and I was a bit more kept to myself because I wasn’t
hearing that great and I didn’t have much confidence in myself because
of my hearing. I was too scared to get involved because I was too
afraid I couldn’t hear anyone or that they would laugh at me because I
couldn’t hear or understand what everyone was saying.
But once I got the implant, my life began to change. I was hearing so
much better, I started becoming more confident in myself, became more
involved with clubs and Swing Dancing, started dating, my grades got
better, and I was happier about myself and my life.
And now, in about 7 weeks I’m moving out into my dorm on campus and I
get to enjoy the next 4 years of College. Only now… I can’t wait to get
involved and to meet new people. :)
Posted by Samantha Brilling 3 comments:
April 29, 2008
Senior Prom!
Hey Everyone!
Well, nothing much going on here... just ready for the last few weeks
of school to be over. I believe there are about 16 more days left for
Seniors! YAY! :D
We had our Prom last weekend - it was a lot of fun!! I went with my
brother and a group of friends which was pretty cool. We had dinner at
a Japanese Habatchi (sp?) Steakhouse, that was neat seeing the chef
cook the meal in front of us as he entertained us with his skills. Then
we went to Prom - we were basically out on the dance floor the whole
entire time just dancing and having a great time. During Prom they had
the Senior Walk, so all the seniors walked down these stairs and out
onto the red carpet and did the Senior Dance. That was pretty neat...
especially since I've waited 4 years for that! :) Then after prom my
friends and I went bowling in our formals and had an after party at my
house. So we just hung out, played games, and watched movies all night
long.
So here a few pictures to enjoy from my Senior Prom:
- My brother and I -
- My mom and I -
- My friend Li, and I "fighting" over our Date -
- Everyone at dinner -
- Everyone out on the dance floor -
So yeah, that was definitely a night to remember! :)
--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--
You know, recently someone messaged me about the implant and how he
couldn't decide on whether to get the implant now or wait another 5 or
10 years until they come out with something even better.
But honestly, it really annoys me when people think like that... sure,
there will be many advances in technology in the future. But when it
comes to hearing the world - why wait? I can't imagine all the things
I'd be missing out on over the next 5 years just waiting for better
technology to come out.
Besides, Advanced Bionics is inventing better technology and coming out
with newer upgrades BUT they are keeping the internal piece the same so
people can upgrade their implants for the newer style. Like with me, I
was implanted the Auria. But becuase they invented the new processor
(keeping the internal piece the same) I was able to upgrade to the new
Harmony.
So why miss out on all the things you could be hearing now just to see
if there will be something better coming out in the future. I rather
live for today then to just sit around and miss out...
Posted by Samantha Brilling 4 comments:
March 10, 2008
Berry Bound... 6 more months :)
Alright, so there's been a change of plans.... instead of going to
NGCSU, I'm going to BERRY COLLEGE! I got some amazing scholarships to
go there and now my dream has come true. It's been my dream school ever
ince I was a little girl, but thanks to the scholarships - it's going
to happen! :)
The Girl Dorms - Where I'll be staying next year. Now I have a choice
of having a private room or having a roomate... which do you think is
better?!
The famous mill on campus...
Another part of Clara Hall (the dorms where I'll be staying)...
But yeah, I'm really excited!! I'm going to be majoring in Marketing in
the Business department. I've sat in some of the classes and it was so
much fun! We had a group discusion about McDonalds and how they market
and franchise their company all over the world. I also got to hear
about the project they're going to be working on right now - I almost
wish I could do it now!! :) I don't think I've ever been so excited
about taking a class... and sadly I have to wait two years before I get
to start on my "major" courses. lol
So now, only about six more months till I'm college bound! YAY! :)
January 21, 2008
CI users in risk?!
(please note, this could be offensive to some... and I'm sorry if it
is...)
My mom forwarded this quote to me from a "Deaf Blog" and it literally
cracked me up and puzzled me why people would even think like that. But
here is the quote and maybe you'll laugh at it too...
"Look forward to the studies of long-term consequences of CI users,
especially emotional and congential development. Let's imagine that one
of the country or terrorist group use the electronic magnetic pulses
(EMP) weapons to attack the civilian population.
The CI users will be mostly vulnerable to the EMP attacks as compared
to deaf individuals without CI devices inside themselves. Or the CI
users walk accidently past the huge microwaved area, ex. corporate
research military base. Their heads surely will explode or fried.
Culturally deaf people will apply their savvy.natural insticts to
respond to any arising situation much better than individuals with CI.
Real freedom from the technopoly or enslave by the artificial
intelligence/technology."
And now, apparently she is going to have her implant removed because of
this... : /
First of all... if you are near anything that has a magnetic field such
as the MRI or some rollar coasters/theme park rides - there will always
be a sign that says its a magnetic field so beware... thats your cue to
not go there.
And second of all - I would personally rather put myself in risk for
the future "magnetic pulses (EMP) weapons" (if there is such a thing)
then to not hear anything at all right now.
I can't imagine all the things I would be missing out on if I thought
about ALL the little crazy risks/consequences of getting it.
Its like saying - we are in risk everyday for driving on the streets
becuase there are so many DUI and crazy people driving.... so I'm not
going to drive my car anymore...I'll just walk. lol
I don't mean to sound sassy about it (so I'm sorry if I have offended
anyone by this post)... but it just bugs me that people would give up
the chance to hear EVERYTHING over a SMALL risk that would probably
never ever happen : /
January 8, 2008
Update on my Grandpa!
Hey Everyone! Sorry about the late update - time flies by way to fast!
But I just wanted to tell you a little bit of whats going on...
(this is based on my understanding of what he's going through from what
he's told me)
He got turned on a few weeks ago and he's already doing great and
making progress!
At first he went through the normal phases of beeps and robotic voices.
When he first got turned on he didn't like it much and after a few days
it still sounded scratchy but he DID like it better then what he had
before. He said he could understand a little bit better then when he
had two hearing aids so he continued to work with the implant to help
make it better.
My grandmother and aunt both work with him on therapy at home everyday
training his brain to relearn and understand the sounds of the
environment and of people's voices. Can you believe at 85 years old,
he's learning to hear all over again?! :)
Some of the sounds he's heard so far:
- air conditioning
- dish washer
- family members talking with pretty much all understanding
- watched the news and got all of what they were saying
- recognized an Elvis song in the background of a movie playing
- the president's debate on the TV without closed captians
He's still learning to cope with the implant and trying to figure out
which hook he likes best, which programs to use, how to wear his hats
with the implant, how to keep the implant on with the oxygen tube and
glasses, etc. He's been having difficulty with keeping the implant on
with the tubing for his oxygen and glasses becuase they all hook on to
his ears. At first it was a mess but he's gotten used to it and has
learned to keep it all on. :P
But as of right now, he's understanding pretty good and is progressing
really well! He can communicate with us again and we don't have to keep
repeating everything we say and deal with him yelling anymore! His
voice has gotten softer and its great having our grandpa back! :)
He's still having a hard time with distance becuase it's only been a
month but over all he's doing great!
He's also having a great time telling all of his friends at his complex
about his experiences and everything that he's going through. And of
course, everyone is just AMAZED with the Cochlear Implant and wishes
they could get one! :)
Here are some pictures of him and the implant...
He's been to 2 mappings so far and is continueing to progress really
well! :)
We're all very happy for him!!
Posted by Samantha Brilling 2 comments:
November 12, 2007
The CI runs in the family...
My Grandpa got the Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant last Wednesday!
He got the new Harmony and we are all waiting anxiously for the turn on
date which is in about 3 weeks! But until then, he's getting his
taples out this Thursday and he's going to have to just deal with
"hearing" out of one hearing aid.
Here are some of the pictures from the surgery....
My Grandpa Sam Rivituso and my Grandmother Pauline - shortly after
recovery
My Granpa with his nurse Katherine... she was really nice
Me, my Grandpa, and my brother leaving the hospital
The scar from when we took off the bandage.... it looked good! (the
black line is his glasses, just to let you know lol)
As you can tell from the pictures, we were ALL very EXCITED about him
getting the implant! Before, he couldn't hear anything and it was
getting very difficult when we tried to talk to him. So we're hoping
that after a few weeks he's going to be able to hear again and we can
all talk to my grandpa normal again! :)
Congratulations Papa, you finally got the implant!! :)
Now we have three people in the family that has the implant (me, my
brother and my grandpa)... and hoepfully my dad will be getting one
oon (he's a bit stubborn when it comes to his hearing)....
Posted by Samantha Brilling 6 comments:
November 1, 2007
Can you hear me now?!
It always cracks me up whenever I take off my implant to show my
hearing friends and they try to put it on to see if they can hear from
it or sometimes they try to speak into the mic to see if I can still
hear them! But I have to explain to them that that's not how it works.
lol It has to be connected to the magnet in my head...and they always
get this confused look on their face... its so funny! :P
It reminds me of the guy from the Verizon commercials - "Can you hear
me now... how about now?!"
And also, when I'm in class and we're all listening to our ipods. I'd
be jamming out to my favorite songs and some of my classmates would ask
to hear what I'm listening to so I would hand them my direct connect
cord and they always get this confused terrified look on their face!
They're like "what the heck is that?!" lol And I tell them that its my
"headphone set" and they try to stick it in their ear to try to hear
from it!!! But then I show them how it connects to my implant and you
can see a light bulb pop up above their head!! :P
I love doing that to my friends.... it cracks me up! :)
Only AWESOME people get to hear out of the Cochlear Implants!! hehe :D
Posted by Samantha Brilling 1 comment:
September 25, 2007
BUSY BUSY BUSY!
But life is going pretty good!
My senior year has been great so far - I have straight A's and I'm
enjoying my classes so much this year! I've been so busy lately between
clubs, sports, applying to colleges, SATs, ACTs, and what-not. My best
friend, Zoe, and I go to the school football games every friday and we
till go swing dancing on the weekends. Last Saturday we got tickets to
the Thrashers Hockey Game - which was awesome!! I love hockey!! :D This
week is also Homecoming at our school so this week has been crazy with
getting ready for that! Our game is Friday night and then the dance is
Saturday night! YAY! I'm so excited!! :)
My brother is also doing good - he's enjoying his sophomore year. His
implant is doing really good too - he had a rough start from the new
implant but now he's understanding really well and calls me on the
phone like all the time! :) So that definitly shows he's improving!!
He's also gotten really big in ROTC. Him and his friend, Colton, are
actually going to be performing an Armed Expidition Routine (sp??) for
the Drill Team Competition in the spring! And in case if you don't know
what that is... its when a team of ROTC boys (in this case 2 boys) do a
routine with different calls and steps with the "gun" and spinning it
around and doing all these tricks with it. So it should be pretty
awesome to see him out there!! :) He's also playing second base man for
the ROTC softball team! His tournament is in like 2 weeks! GO
JONATHAN!!!
So I'm in the process of applying to colleges. I've narrowed it down to
my top three which are North Georgia College and State University
(NGCSU), Berry College, and Georgia College and State University
(GCSU). I've had my senior meeting with my counselor which was pretty
exciting talking about colleges and life after high school and
graduation! I was pretty excited about that meeting but my mom was
pretty sad! haha :) So I've been writing my essays for the colleges and
I thought I'd post one up here and see what yall think!
Here is one of my essays:
Topic for Freshman Essay:
“As a part of our mission to provide students with a liberal arts
education, Georgia College & State University strives to create an
atmosphere that instills in students exceptional qualities of mind and
character including respect for human diversity and individuality.
Given your own individual background, life experiences, and personal
identity, how will you contribute to the overall diversity of the
tudent body at GCSU?”
College Essay Rough Draft:
No matter who we are, where we’re from, or what our backgrounds are, we
all come together to achieve one common goal: a goal of overcoming all
obstacles and achieving success. In achieving our goal, we must all
work together bringing diversity with different backgrounds and points
of view about life, to achieve success and to make a difference. With
my background of being born with a disability, a passion of helping or
mentoring others and the motivation of being an active member in my
ociety will help bring diversity to the student body of Georgia
College and State University (GCSU).
Over the years, I’ve had to overcome my disability of being hearing
impaired. I was born profoundly deaf and went through Auditory-Verbal
Therapy to learn how to hear and speak and to become an independent
communicator without the use of sign language and lip reading. My
journey wasn’t over with just hearing aids and years of therapy. In
2005, my hearing started to deteriorate and I went through major
urgery to get a Cochlear Implant. The cochlear implant is like a more
“high-tech implantable hearing aid” which helps me to hear even better.
But along with getting the new cochlear implant, I had to relearn
ounds all over again while I was still going to high school, making
good grades, and continuing to be an active member in various clubs.
After going through a major surgery, I realized I could help others who
are going through the same situations. So I decided to work in the
Operating room as a “VolunTEEN” at the Atlanta Children’s Hospital,
which I have done for several years. Working there allowed me to help
other families deal with emotions that come with having their child go
through a major surgery. Even though I volunteered my free time at the
Children’s Hospital, I also kept an updated online Blogspot journal
(www.samshearinglife.blogspot.com), entitled “Sam’s Hearing Life.” I
posted about my experiences while going through surgery and about the
process of relearning sounds all over again. This was designed to help
mentor other families who are in the same situation as I was, who also
choose to become independent communicators me.
During my high school years, I realized that it’s important to not only
maintain a good grade point average but to also be an active member in
clubs that support community service, such as Key Club and Girl Scouts.
As a member I help make my community a better place by cleaning local
parks to make it fun and safe for neighborhood children, package up
food with Project Open Hands for AIDS victims, and I also help clean
local pet shelters such as Paws Atlanta. I also use my leadership
kills, organizational skills and creativity to help with school
committees such as Homecoming and Prom.
I believe what makes a unique college experience is one with a diverse
group of people and backgrounds who all come together to achieve
uccess by working together and helping others. And because of my well
rounded background and desire to overcome my disability, I believe I
can adjust to any environment, such as GCSU. I would come with
enthusiasm and dedication to be able to excel academically as well as
to share my experiences to help others overcome their struggles from
dealing with a new environment, challenging personalities, and a new
way of life away from the comforts of home. I also believe that my
passion for helping others and being involved will allow me to continue
to be involved with new community service clubs, such as Circle K, to
make GCSU and Milledgeville a better place and to be able to call it my
new home.
So I hope for the best and just wait and see what the colleges say!!
Gosh the wating part is the worst part ever!! eeeeek!
But yeah.... I don't know what else to say at this point. Jonathan and
I are both doing great in school, clubs, and with our implants. This
year, Jonathan and I are also actually officers for Key Club which is
pretty fun becuase it makes us look important! He's 10th grade
representative and I'm Bulliten Editor. :)
Oh by the way - Jonathan also just got his liscense this weekend and
he's going to get his motorcycle permit this weekend! YIKES! So he's
pretty excited about being able to drive...but one thing he's going to
have to remember - the second car is MY CAR and I GET PRIORITY!!! hehe
:D
Here are some updated pictures of us...
Me, My Mom, and my Brother at a Kareokee party with some family
friends!! :)
Me and my best friend Zoe going to the Tucker Football game! YAY!
Jonathan and I when we went hiking in North Carolina - SO BEAUTIFUL
THERE!!! :D
My Senior Graduation Picture :D
Posted by Samantha Brilling 9 comments:
August 11, 2007
Spreading the word around...
Just in case you didn't notice...I posted up some links on the right
ide on my website.
One is for the Auditory Verbal Center, Inc. Thats the center that
taught me to hear and speak.
The next one is the homepage for Advanced Bionics, the implant company
that I have (and ABSOLUTLY LOVE!).
And the others are friends with Cochlear Implants and AVC graduates
from the center I graduated from. They vary in ages, so you get a wide
variety of points of views and lifestyles with the Cochlear Implants.
But they're all really good, so if you're interested...check them out
too and see what they have to say! : )
Just thought I'd point that out for those curious minds out there...
August 9, 2007
Who's ready for Senior Year?!?!
I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM! I AM! : )
Yesterday we had registration at school...that was pretty much really
hectic! The only awesome thing about registration yesterday was
tanding in the SENIOR LINE!!! haha I was so excited!! :D I also got to
ee some old friends that I havn't seen all summer and my teachers from
last year!! That was pretty fun!
But today I had to go back beacuse I had an appointment with my new
counselor to talk about my schedule, introduce myself, explain my
hearing, and what-not. And of course my mom told him my awesome story
with the implant and how I was born deaf and how I can now hear and
peak...and of course he was just blown away and couldn't believe that
my brother and I were born deaf! haha Its amazing how people's face
expressions change once you tell them that you're deaf!! haha : )
So here are my classes for next year...
1. AP Microeconomics
2. Environmental Science
3. British Literature
4. Algebra III
5. Banking/ Finance
6. Bussiness Document Processing
7. Introduction to Technology
I'm looking forward to my classes this year....the courses seem like
they may be a little challenging but for some reason I'm excited! So
we'll see when I start next Monday!
But you know what else?!
Today, I also got my first Parking spot at Lakeside!!! I was soo
excited!! I didn't get one last year (even though I could have) but I
got one for this year!! YAY!
I got a little sticker to put on my back window and we went out to find
the spot...and lucky me, my spot is one of the few that were in the
hade!! YAY! YAY!
Heres a picture of me in my parking spot...can you tell I was excited?!
haha :D
So yeah, this year should be a pretty intersting year! I'm a senior and
my brother is a Sophomore!! I can't wait till football time starts!
Then HOMECOMING! My favorite part of the year!! haha
Posted by Samantha Brilling No comments:
August 5, 2007
We LOVE our Direct Connect!
Hey - Just thought you might enjoy a picture of the implant with the
direct connet. We went hiking this weekend in North Carolina and so my
brother and I both took our ipods to listen to in the car. And lets
just say, now that my brother got the new harmony - he has become
OBSESSED with the new direct connect!! haha So now both my brother and
I won't go anywhere without it!! haha : )
Here is a picture of my brother with his implant and the direct connect
attacted to it.
For those of you who don't know - the direct connect is like a
headphone set for the Advanced Bionics users. Its the black cord that
hangs down from the front of the implant that connects to the ipod or
to whatever you're listening to (cell phone, ipod, computer, mp3
player, etc.)...
And just another thing to notice...my brother got his implant about a
month and a half ago and his hair and skin is already back to normal! I
know there are alot of parents out there that are worried about what
their kids are going to look like afterwards and scared about the whole
hair thing...but his hair grew back, you can't really see the scar, and
he's already had a hair cut since after the surgery.
So your hair will grow back and it'll go back to normal!!
Just another note for those worried parents... : )
August 1, 2007
VolunTEEN at the Children's Hospital
My last day as a VolunTEEN at the children's Hospital was today! :( I
could only do it for the summer, and becuase of school starting in two
weeks, today was the last day for us.
I got to work in the Operating Room with my friend Sumon. We had fun
helping all the nurses, watching the different surgeries, helping the
hospital move into the new building (which was so confusing lol), and
learning about what its like to be a nurse at the hospital! My favorite
part was seeing all the surgeries - I got to see intestines, the inside
of a stomach, lungs, and a heart!
Who knows, maybe I'll become a nurse working in the OR one day... :)
Here's a picture with me and the people I worked with in our lovely
crubs...
Sumon, Elizabeth, Mrs. June (the lady in charge of us) and then me...
July 30, 2007
An Emotional Summer...
So much has happened this summer - I don’t know where to start!
Well...in May of this year, I got my new harmony! I was so excited!! :
) I went to go get it mapped and had my programs set to:
P1 – 120 – 60 IDR
P2 – Hi Res – 60 IDR
P3 – 120 – 80 IDR
But being that I don’t like to change my programs through out the day,
I tend to just stay on program 3.
I can’t tell a difference from the Auria and the New Harmony when I’m
just talking to people and when I’m in my normal environments. But when
I’m listening to music…I can see the changes. I’ve been able to hear
the words to the songs better, I’ve also been able to get more of the
instruments from the background too! There have been a couple songs
that I liked before I got the Harmony, but never really understood the
words and what the song was about…but once I listened to it with the
Harmony, I understood the words and finally got the meaning of the
whole song! And now its one of my favorites! : ) Its so weird to hear
different songs on the radio and compare it to what it used to sound
like and to what it sounds like now! Some of them have been good
changes, but then again, some of them have been kind of wierd...like
this one time - I listened to this one song that I liked before and I
listened to it with the Harmony and heard what it REALLY sounded like!
And with the Harmony, it sounded sooo wierd and different! It sounded
anymore! haha But for most of the songs...they sound so much better! So
thats a good thing! : )
But yeah, I really like the Harmony, not only because of the more
channels and how the music sounds… but also because of the battery
life! The battery life is TRULY AMAZING!! AND SUCH A LIFE-SAVER!! For
me, I was lucky because with the Auria I only had to change my battery
twice a day….but even still, I always had to worry about my batteries
charging at night, making sure I had my batteries with me and what-not.
But now, I just use the one on my implant and I’m good for the WHOLE
DAY! I still carry one battery with me as an emergency backup if I need
it, but honestly I don’t even need to carry an extra battery with me!
The one battery lasts all day long and I absolutely LOVE it!! : )
So everything is going great with me….but unfortunately this summer and
been a rough few months for my younger brother, Jonathan (16). At the
end of May, his C1 internal implant (after 9 ½ years of having it)
failed. So after the “confirmation” of the device failure he went into
urgery to get the new Harmony. Lucky for him, the doctor was able to
just take out the old one and put the new one right in the same spot on
the same side. We were really happy about that because we both want to
keep the other ear open for down-the-road emergencies and for the more
advanced technologies that are coming out. So then after the surgery he
waited a few weeks to get turned on. Those few weeks were probably the
toughest weeks we all had to go through! He doesn’t lip read or use
ign language (because we went through Auditory Verbal therapy to learn
to hear and speak) so basically we had to walk around with a pen and
paper so we could even communicate with him and to tell him what’s
going on! I don't think I've ever seen my brother so depressed and
bored! We were also all really nervous about the whole thing because we
weren’t sure how this was going to turn out. We didn’t know if he was
going to like it, if it was going to even work, or if he’s going to
have to relearn the sounds all over again. But then the turning on day
came… and it worked! But as it turns out, it did start off to be beeps
and it moved into the “robotic” sounds and now it sounds like normal
people. Its been about 2 months and he’s now hearing fine! I think
because he had the implant for the last 9 ½ years in the same ear, the
process of understanding with the new one was quicker and easier for
him then for someone just getting it for the first time.
But after this rough and emotional summer, he’s now really liking the
implant and seems to be hearing great!
He wears the new color caps, loves the direct-connect to listen to his
ipod with, and most of all… he loves the battery life! With the C1, he
had to go through 6-8 batteries A DAY and now he only uses one battery
for the whole day!
So now, that my brother and I both have the new harmony we have fun
with sharing the new color caps and jazzing up our implants!
Now, we're both stylish AB Harmony Implant users!! haha : )
Here is a picture of me and Jonathan swing dancing at a local concert a
few days ago....
But on the flip side...even though this summer has been really
emotional and crazy for us, we still had a great summer!
This summer, I worked in the Operating Room at the Children's Hospital
again and I absolutly love it there! I went to Texas for 2 weeks and
cruised around San Antonio with my Mom. And I've also been working at
AVC and hanging out with all my friends.
And for Jonathan - for the last five weeks he went to the Riverside
Military Academy to take Algebra II and to see whats its like to be in
the military. Now, you're probably confused and wondering why he went
off to the military academy when he JUST got the implant... well he
actually signed up before the imlant failed and nothing was going to
top him from going (even the implant failure). And much to our
urprise, the teachers and sargents were all really cool with him about
the implant and really worked with him! He took a whole years-worth of
Algebra II in 5 weeks ( and PASSED) and had a great time playing sports
and working out with all the other guys!
Here is a picture of Jonathan and me from the Military Ball (you can
kind of see him in his uniform)...
So yeah, you never know what life is going to bring you.... : )
May 11, 2007
FINALLY! ...an update! : )
Wow, I haven’t posted in while! YIKES! I’m sorry…I keep forgetting to
post! : /
But yeah, things are going good. Last week I went to get remapped
because I felt like I was loosing most of what people are saying. So we
changed my settings and put my implant in the cleaner (wow-that cleaner
thing really makes a difference! lol). So right now my settings are set
the following:
program 3 – 50 - quite environment
program 2 – 60 - noisy
program 1 – 80 - cafeteria or very noisy environment
She set me on these settings because it’s supposed to help me hear
better when I’m driving in a car, listening to music, and eating in the
cafeteria or a restaurant. So my homework was to experiment with the
different programs and see if it helps make a difference.
And right now, I’m in the process of doing that. Although I gotta say,
I hate changing the programs throughout the day because for some reason
it takes so long for the implant to switch over. And by the time I
witch over, I’ve already missed a lot. But I think that that’s
omething that will get better with more practice on switching BEFORE I
get there! : / But I’m working on it…
But other then that, the new mapping seems to work good…it’s defiantly
better then what I had!
Oh, the other day I also put an order in for my NEW HARMONY! YAY!
Thanks to my mom for helping me get that, maybe now I’ll be able to
HEAR EVEN MORE! Now, I’m not even sure if I should be happy or a little
nervous! Because quite honestly, it gets kind of annoying to hear my
dog lick herself while we’re watching TV! Haha, just kidding…I’m
looking forward to it! : ) I should be getting it in the next few
weeks, so it should be interesting to see the differences between the
Auria and Harmony. They say that the Harmony helps make music a lot
more clearer – YAY! And being that music is everything to me…I’m
looking REALLY forward to that! : )
But other then that, life has been going good! I just turned 18, I went
on my first date, I've been to two Proms, I’m touring colleges, and
also I’m taking Swing Dance Lessons! My junior year has definitely been
the best so far, and it’s all because of my implant! My freshman year
ucked because I had hearing aids (Superos by Phonak), and missed A
LOT. Then my sophomore year, I was just getting the implant and I was
trying to get used to it. And now, it’s the end of my junior year and
I’m doing GREAT with hearing everyone and making all A’s and B’s!!
I went on my first date a few weeks ago. I was soo excited! Because I
didn’t know how people would react to me being deaf and this guy asked
me out!! I was honestly really nervous about it because I didn’t know
if he knew about my hearing or not. But he was actually pretty cool
about it! We went to the park and we were talking and he asked what
that thing was on my ear. So I explained it to him and his mouth just
dropped! Haha, he couldn’t believe that I was deaf! But he was
urprisingly cool with it which made me really happy and a lot more
confident about my hearing. And what’s so funny about it all is that
he’s actually part deaf too! And I didn’t realize that either! He can’t
hear out of his left ear either which was kind of neat to find out! : )
So you never know what you might learn about someone else, huh?!? So
yeah – I guess I was just imagining the worst when I thought about
telling people about my hearing. People are actually more understanding
about your hearing then you realize! And that really makes me happy! :
)
I’m also touring colleges right now! I went to tour Georgia College and
State University (GC&SU) and I absolutely LOVED that place!! I am
looking soooo forward to college, no offense to mom, but I am!! We got
to tour the dorms, see the classes, and eat in the cafeteria and
what-not. The dorms were pretty cool. It’s more of a quad-suite so I
would have a roommate. And hopefully my roommate won’t mind my
vibrating alarm clock!! Haha! So yeah, right now that’s my first choice
in colleges (go GC&SU!) but I’m also touring some others such as
University of West Georgia and Berry College. SO we’ll see…
I’m also taking Swing Dance Lessons which is A LOT of fun! My brother
is actually my swing dance partner (he also has the implant)! We’re not
as good as the dancers on Dancing with the Stars (…not yet at least!
hehe) but we’re having fun learning the dance moves and listening to
all the jazz and swing dance music! ; )
So yeah, life is going good…I love my implant! I’m definitely enjoying
my life a lot more!! I’m making better grades, hearing more things,
trying new things such as dance lessons and running for office in
clubs, and I’m also getting better at being more vocal about my
hearing! : )
February 13, 2007
Survey....
My friend wanted me to answer this survey for her project in college,
and I thought it'd be interesting to post on here. I thought they were
good questions and I figured they might be helpful to you....so enjoy!
1. What age were you when you received the Implant?
I got the implant in april of 2005 when I was just turning 16 years
old.
2. Has Getting the implant limited what you can do?
Yes, there are some activites that I have to avoid now becuase I have
the implant, for example different things with magnetic fiels such as
ome rollar coasters, MRI's, and plastic slides.
3. How does the Implant help you with your daily life?
The implant helps me to hear no matter where I am, such as the
cafeteria, outside, at home, or even on the phone. I wasn't functioning
good with two hearing aids, so thats why I got the implant. And now I
can hear alot more and its helped me to understand people, music and
environmental sounds better.
4. Is it noticeable to other people when you first meet them?
No, becuase the cochlear implant is a small device that sits behind my
ear. And being that I have longer hair, its hard to see it because its
being hid. Plus, people don't "look" for the implant becuase they don't
realize that I'm deaf when they meet me because my speech quality is so
good. I was taught spoken language through the auditory verbal approach
to where I don't lip read or use sign language.
5. How has the implant affected your life?
Yes, dramtically. With it my grades have gone up becuase I can hear
now, I have been more involved with clubs such as Key Club and Girl
Scouts, I have volunteered at differnt places, and I can even get a job
now because I can hear what I have to do. And of course music is my
favorite thing, now I can really enjoy the music and words.
But then again, its also frustrating because I always have to make sure
I have charged batteries to get me through the day. Because if my
batteries go dead, I can not hear a thing and I'm in a silent world.
6. If you had not gotten the implant how would your life be different?
If I had not gotten the implant, I would not have been involved with
the clubs, volunteering, and plus I probably wouldn't be at the public
chool that I am now. I also wouldn't have been able to do some things
uch as going to concerts, movies, and plays. Without the implant, I
would have very few friends, I wouldn't be as socialble and I wouldn't
be where I am today.
But yeah, it was a short survey but it had some interesting points
about the implant...
December 6, 2006
Interesting Quote...
Well the other day I was reading this magazine called "Choices" in
interior design. And one of the articles in the magazine was about a
hearing loss and all the things you do that makes your hearing worse
and all the things you can do to prevent a hearing loss. In one part,
it was trying to explain what a hearing loss is like and this is how
American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) put it....
"It's like a dining room chandelier with bulbs that go out. Every day,
it dims a little bit until one day you think, 'it's dark in here,' but
then its too late to turn the light back on."
But anyways, I thought it was pretty funny how they relate deaf people
as chandeliers!! : P So my friend and I were joking around with each
other about this and teasing me about being a chandelier!! At first I
laughed and I couldn't believe that they were saying that but once you
think about it...in a way a hearing loss is like dying light bulbs!!
But in my case, I got high-tech, life-time guaranteed new light bulbs!!
: )
I have my speech which will last a lifetime (thanks to AVC) and my new
high-tech Cochlear Implant which will also last me forever!! hehe
So now, I am a very bright and shiny chandelier!!!! : )
November 29, 2006
When do Direct Connects come in handy??
Well today, I went on a field trip with my Photography class to the
High Museum. That was interesting. But we all had to walk around with
recorders and headphones that was talking about all the pictures. I
couldn't hear a thing on the head phones so guess what...I pulled out
my Direct connect from my purse, plugged it in...and ta-da! I can
HEAR!!! YAY! YAY! YAY!
haha, who would ever have thought that that was going to come in
handy?? I usually use it just to listen to my music on my MP3 player, I
never thought I'd need it for something else.
So for all of you who have the implant....get the Direct Connect!!! You
never know when you'll need it!!!
October 24, 2006
Update
Well things are going good with me and my Implant. I'm a Junior in High
School and school is going great! I'm aceing all of my classes, which
is really exciting! YAY! Last week was Homecoming, that was bunches of
fun!! Friday night was our homecoming game, my brother and I stood up
in the front cheering for the Lakeside Vikings. And believe it or
not...we WON!!! YAY! YAY! YAY! That was really really really exciting
to win our Homecoming Game!!! : ) Then saturday night, we had our
Homecoming Dance. Jonathan (my brother) was my date so we danced and
had alot of fun the whole night!!! It was pretty cool to be able to
hear the beats and be able to follow along with the music.
Oh, the other day my brother and I spoke on a panel in front of a bunch
of therapists, parents, and teachers at this Advanced Bionics Meeting.
That was pretty interesting....apparently we were really good!! : )
They asked us questions about how we deal with the implant at school,
the differences between the Hearing Aid and the Implant, Our favorite
and least favorite things about the implant, etc. so I guess that went
well. I was glad that we were there to help answer questions!
But other than that, everything seems to be going pretty good.
August 9, 2006
Last day as a Volunteen!!
The other week I had my last day of being a volunteen at Egleston
Children's Hospital. I have been working there in the Operating Room
every tuesday this summer and it has definatly been the highlight of my
ummer! I got to help patients get ready for surgery, get the operating
rooms ready for surgery and I also got to help nurses during surgery!!
And whats so cool about it is that I got to get all dressed up in
crubs, a hat, and a mask! And I still was able to hear everyone!!
But there is one thing that my mentor, June Malcolm, and I will always
remember! The story when she learned I was hearing impaired. Ok, on the
first day of working there, June was giving me a tour around and
telling me everything I've got to do, etc. And we come in front of the
OR room where Dr. Todd does his implant surgerys. And June was getting
ready to tell me this whole "speel" about what the cochelar implant is
and what its for. And immediatly I bursted out "I GOT ONE!!". hahaha, I
was so excited to be able to see them getting one that I just bursted
that out! And the look on June's face will always stick with me! She
was so suprised and couldn't believe that I was deaf and I was working
in the Operating Room! So then from then on, she told all the nurses
and advisers, etc. about my hearing and about our story! And everyone
that she told was always shocked and so suprised that I was deaf!!
So yeah, I guess you can say....nothing will get in the way of getting
what you want!! And I wanted to be a volunteen at Egleston and I got
it!! And I had the BEST TIME OF MY LIFE!!
This is a picture of June, Me, and Cynthia. Notice the scrubs - don't
we look cute!! hehe : )
Posted by Samantha Brilling 5 comments:
August 7, 2006
Swimming with friends....finally!
I just got back from going to a mountain house with a group of my
friends for the weekend. I had an awesome time!! We got to hang out, go
wimming, canoeing, hiking, listen to music, etc.
But the main thing I really wanted to share was about the swimming,
I've never been much of a swimmer and I always tried to avoid swimming
with a bunch of people as much as I could. And the reason being was my
hearing. I was to embarresed and almost scared to swim with a bunch of
people. I was always worried about missing what people would be saying.
I don't lip read and I don't do sign so its kind of hard and wierd to
wim with a bunch of people. And plus the fact, I always felt wierd
just sitting there while everyone else was having a great time chatting
and playing games. But for the first time, I actually swam with a whole
group of people! It was alot easier than I thought it would be!
My best friend Zoe was there too, so she kind of stuck by my side to
help with what people were saying and kind of guide me to where we were
all going, etc. And when ever people would start talking to me while
I'm in the water (which would be quite often) zoe would explain to them
that I can't hear. And everything would be fine!
But then at one point I sat on the dock (with my aids on) while
everyone else swam and I was listening to what everyone was saying. And
at one point this guy was talking to us (me and zoe) and zoe was
explaing to him about my hearing...and suprisingly he was realy
accepting of it! All my life I have tried to keep my hearing as much of
a secret as I could becuase I was too embarresed of what people would
think of me. But this weekend I was so suprised and it felt so good to
be able to tell people and they don't treat me differently! Everyone
was really nice and treid to help me with whatever we were doing in the
water.
I don't know what I was thinking on how poeple felt about my hearing! I
wish I had expeirenced this earlier in my life. Becuase now I feel like
I can come out of my "shell", you know? It felt sooo good to be able to
wim and hang out with a bunch of friends and knowing that they all
know about my hearing and they have no problem with it!
Gosh, this feels great!! : )
June 28, 2006
Remapping
The other day I got remapped!
I've been needing it for awhile but I've been dreading it because its
usually a pain to do it! But I decided that it was time and I need to
add some "tweaks" to it because I wasn't really hearing as good as I
usually was. : (
So anyways...I went to a new audiologist and we did all the programming
we needed. First I had to say weather or not the beeping I heard was
comfortable or not. Then I had to compare between two different beeps
to try to "levalize" them. That part was hard because sometimes you had
to compare between a low pitch beep and a high pitch beep...And we all
know the high pitch beep would seem louder!! But I had to try to
levalize them, so my hearing would be all leveled and not all over the
place. (???)
So after all that annoying and pain-in-the-butt beeps (no offense to
those audiologists reading this)...I finally got it to where I like
it!! Everything sounded really clear and it was comfortable and I was
finally really really happy with what I was hearing!
Then after that, we added some settings to the other programs. Rene (my
audiologist) said that since you have 3 programs to switch to, you
hould use them! So I thought, what the heck...I'll give it a try! I
don't normally switch around to different programs because I like to
just put it on in the morning and not have to worry about changing any
programs...I've always been like that, even with my hearing aids! But
anyways, we put the regular setting on the first program, we put a
etting the turns down the background on the second program, and on the
third program we put a setting that's really loud - that's apparently
really good for music and trying to get everything like in a library.
My Programs:
P1 = 60 - normal
P2 = 50 - noisy places
P3 = 80 - try for music, libarys, etc.
Then we put me in a sound booth and tested to see what all I was
actually hearing with my new settings. And it turns out that I was
actually doing really well!!! I didn't think I was going to do all that
great because I've been wearing my hearing aid, but I guess it really
doesn't matter!
My Testing Results:
55 Quiet 94%
45/55 +10 Noise 77%
65 Quiet 100%
So now, I've been wearing only my implant a lot more. I've been more
comfortable with it! I mean its still weird not getting any sounds out
of my left ear but that'll take time to get used to for anyone! So
yeah....I'm happy!! I can finally go without my hearing aid!!! YAY!
So I guess its a good thing to get remapped!! haha
June 19, 2006
Troop Cruise
I got back from a cruise with my Girl Scout Troop!! It was alot of fun!
I did a bunch of things I've never done before! : ) To me, the
highlight of the cruise was the Deck Party, Snorkling, and the
Theater!!!
Well first of all....one of the nights, they have a deck party and for
the first time....I actually danced to "fast" music. I'm not much of a
dancer to start with but since I could here it and I could alctually
hear the rythem...I got to dance!! YAY! I danced till 1 in the morning
(non stop) YAY ME!!
Then I went snorkling...now, going in the water in public was never a
big thing for me becuase I was too afraid that I wouldn't hear anyone
or I'd miss something someone said. But I actually went snorkling with
my troop leader, and I gotta say it was AWESOME!! I was sooo glad I
went!!
Then after dinner, we would all go to the theater...we had comedians
for 2 of the nights and I heard everything they said!! Gosh, they were
hilarious!! haha, I don't think I've ever enjoyed a show like I did
there!! And on the other nights...we had musicals. And I heard
everything they were saying!!! : D
But yeah...those were the highlights of the cruise!! But in case if you
were wondering, we went on a 5 day cruise down to the bahamas to see
Grand Turk, Nassau, and Half Moon Key (my favorite island!!)
May 9, 2006
Questions and Answers...
I’ve had some questions about the last post on my hair and the implant,
Question: Do you wear your implant on top of your hair or underneath
it??
Answer: Me personally wear it underneath. When I wear my hair up I try
to put it underneath but there have been times, where I would have to
put it on top due to the hairstyle (ex. Pigtails or a Ponytail). But
when I wear my hair down…its always underneath. I have seen people wear
both ways, so I guess it really depends on your preference and your
hair!
Question: Do people see it more easily than a hearing aid?
Answer: On me…no, if anything they notice the hearing aid more than the
implant! I think a lot of people think that your implant is probably
ome new technology for listening to music or one of those “blue tooth”
things that you see people wearing for their cell phones. And I say
this because I know that almost every time we get in an elevator
omebody asks Jonathan what he’s listening to…because they see the
implant and assume that its like an MP3 player or something. But then
that’s when we tell them what it is and what its for and they think its
pretty cool and amazing that we can hear and talk even though we are
deaf!! : )
I hope that helps a little bit...and if you have any other questions -
ASK ME! I love answering questions that anyone has!! : )
April 18, 2006
Wearing My Hair Up....FINALLY!!! hehe : )
Well today was the first day I wore my hair up to school since I got
the implant!! I never did, becuase I was too afraid of what people
would say. And plus, I wasn't sure what was going to happen for when my
battery dies...beacuse when it dies, I take the implant off and change
the battery. But if my hair is up...then I was afraid I was going to
mess up me hair when I take it off!! : / But since the school is
re-doing their air conditioning systems....its like "boiling" in the
chool!!! : ) So I wore my hair up to keep me cool! YAY!
I was kind of nervous and hesitent to wear it up, but I decided it was
time to just let everyone see it and just accept what they say.
But as it comes to my shock...nobody said anything!! : D Well except
when I was in the bathroom washing my hands...this girl was staring at
my head. So I'm thinking she was looking at my hearing aid. hahaha. But
I didn't say anything...I just kept on going! hehe : )
But yeah...Its a big differnce between the hearing aid and the cochlear
implant!! And my golly...I gotta say, the implant is ALOT nicer looking
than the hearing aid and plus the fact...you can color match!!!!! hehe
Hearing Aid (pic. 1) AB Cochlear Implant (pic. 2)
April 14, 2006
Oh, and I almost forgot....exactly one year ago (last April) I was
dreaming about getting the implant....and look where I am now!! My
Surgery was April 13th and I was turned on May 17th. It has been
exactly One Year and One day since I got the impant!!! Coolies! : )
WOW....its been awhile!! Sorry about that!! I guess I aught to post,
huh??
Well lets see, alots been going on...but first things first, my implant
is doing great! I can hear everything with it and it sounds normal! And
I absolutly love having the implant...and I gotta say that the main
think that I like about it is the Direct Connect! I love listening to
music now because I don't have to worry about it being too loud for
every one else!! hehe.
Then not too long ago, I was in a photo Shoot for Advanced Bionics!
That was fun! I wasn't looking forward to it in the beginning becuase I
didn't know what to expect but it actually turned out to be quite
interesting!! This photographer (Gill-spelling?) went camping with us
over spring break to take pictures of us doing things like canoeing,
talking on the cell phone, listening to music, making a fire, grilling,
etc. so I hope he got some good pictures. I hope we can get coppies,
that would be cool! And who knows...maybe you'll see me or my brother
in an Advanced Bionics Flier. Coolies!!
Oh, and another thing....I got asked to my first Prom!! YAY! I was
really shocked though, becuase I thought I was never going to get asked
out or that I wasn't going to hear a guy asking me out becuase of my
hearing!!! And I never thought a guy would want to date a deaf
girl...but it turns out that I was wrong! haha And it makes me feel
good becuase of all that time of worrying, it was really all for
nothing! But yeah, the Prom is next weekend and I'm kind of nervous
becuase I don't know how the music will sound to me. I went to a
Homecoming dance and it was kind of like a bunch of noise....but I hope
I'll be able to hear a little bit of the beats and the rythem this
time. But I'll make sure I post to let you know. : )
So to all you girls waiting to be asked out...it will happen!! hehe And
I guess this proves that the world really doesn't care about you being
deaf!! They just think its cool that you can hear them!! : )
November 28, 2005
Realizing why its a hard change from HA to CI
Every now and then I like to experiment with my hearing aid and
Cochlear Implant by listening with my hearing aid only for a few
minutes, then I switch to my cochlear implant for a few minutes and
then I switch to both. And you know sometimes I get the wierdest
results. Sometimes I can hear better with just the implant and
ometimes I can hear better with both. But the hearing aid never win.
Its either both or just the implant.
But anyways, I went to the movies the other day and I was experimenting
with them to see which one makes the movie sound best. So I turned off
my hearing aid and listened for a few minutes to the movie. And that
was the wierdest feeling! It sounds like I don't have sound on the
other side. Like all the sound comes in on one side. And that makes me
very uncomfortable!! I had to keep looking over to see if someone was
talking to me. Its really freaky not having sound come in on the other
ide. I guess its more of a security thing.
So it makes you think if Bilateral is really a good thing or not and if
it really makes a difference. But only someone brave enough would get
one. I don't think I would ever want to get another implant....Don't
get me wrong, because I love my implant but I think I'm too attached to
my hearing aid to let it go. You know? And then you know another great
thing about having a hearing aid in one ear is when the battery dies,
which is always in the middle of my last class, I can still hear a
little bit of what the teacher is saying while I'm changing the battery
on my implant. So the hearing aid is like my backup.
And since I'm on this topic.....I have never had someone ask me what
that thing was on my ear! People have always said something about my
hearing aid but not my implant. I thought people would be asking what
that was because its bigger and filled with colors. haha. But that's
almost a relief. Because I like it when people think of me as a normal
person...And not a disability.
But anyways, I thought I'd share that with you.
November 19, 2005
Progress
Hey!
Yesterday I had a mapping session. That went ok. We tried to change the
program but I didn't like it at all. It sounded too high pitch and
mechanical. So instead, we decided to just keep the other program, the
one that I walked in with. But since I was wearing it at about 8
o'clock, we moved it to the 12 o'clock spot.
So now I've been wearing just my implant as much as I can. Yesterday I
watched a whole movie with just my implant....That may not sound like a
lot but for me it is. And whats shocking is that I actually got
everything they said! But you know, its really weird wearing just an
implant because its like you don't get any sound from the other side.
All the sound comes in my right side, so I keep feeling like I forgot
to turn on my hearing aid on my left side. And the urge to turn it on
is so frustrating! But it really helps to just put the hearing aid in
my pocket. So that way, I can't just reach up to turn it on quickly.
But anyways, another thing that we did at my appointment was that we
changed the extra magnet to a "half strength" which helps hold my
implant on better. Before I had to hold my magnet on with another
magnet on the outside. Which got really annoying because it magnetized
to EVERYTHING!! I tried to put the magnet on the inside but after 20 or
30 minutes of wearing it, I would get a really bad headache. But now
after getting this new magnet, I haven't had a headache and it holds my
implant on ALOT better! So I'm really excited about not having to have
the outside magnet on. YAY!!
Well I guess this is it for now.
November 10, 2005
Back into Therapy...
Hey everyone!
Well I don't have much to say at this point. But I had a therapy
ession not to long ago....and its about time too! My last therapy
ession was before school started (beginning of August). Once school
tarted I just got to busy and had no time to do it. But I finally put
my foot down and got back into therapy.
So last week I had a therapy session and it went great! I think my
therapist and my mom was amazed and shocked at how well I was doing
with just the implant. And I was too! I was soo nervous about therapy
that I was actually dreading it. I haven't been going just with my
implant so I wasn't sure how I was going to do. But I actually did
well!
Since I'm in school and I have homework and club meetings, we decided
to have therapy about once a month or every couple of weeks. So at each
ession, she would give me alot of homework to do. And whenever we had
time, my mom and I would do a little bit. So I'm really excited about
how things are going with me and the implant. I've been listening to my
music too, so hopefully my goal will be reached before
Christmas......I'm hoping!!! (keep your fingers crossed!)
Well I guess this is it for now, I just wanted to let you know what
I've been doing lately. Later!
October 14, 2005
Promise to myself
Well, I made a promise to myself and I plan on keeping it! You want to
know what the promise is?!?!
Well I promise that I will work with my implant by praticing on
listening to music, and hearing people without my hearing aid. And if
I'm successful at doing this....I'm going to buy myself an ipod! Yeah,
I know it may sound weird but I really want to do it, beacuse if I get
really good at listening to music with just my implant, I can use the
"wireless" headphone set for my implant so I'll look like everyone
else. I won't have to deal with those big and bulky headphones. Cool
huh?!?! Well I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing.
Until then....
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Samantha and her brother, Jonathan
About Me
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Samantha Brilling
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
I was born profoundly deaf but wasn’t diagnosed until the age of
two, which is when I immediately started wearing two hearing
aids and going through Auditory Verbal Therapy. My hearing and
discrimination got worse in 2005, which is when I got my
Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant. Now I wear the CI on my right
ear and a hearing aid on my left. I'm a student at North Georgia
College and State University majoring in Marketing and Graphic
Design.
View my complete profile
I am a BEA Mentor because:
"I enjoy mentoring people who are going through the same situations
that I went through in deciding to get the implant, going through the
urgery, and learning how to hear all over again or even for the first
time. I got my CI at the end of my freshman year in High School so I
can remember what it was like before I got the implant and how my life
has changed ever since.
I would like to share my experiences with other people from a
teenager's perspective and to share the stories about my younger
brother Jonathan and my Grandpa Sam, both of whom have the CI as well.
My brother was implanted at age 5 and my grandpa was implanted at age
85."
-Click Picture to learn more!-
With my Cochlear Implant, I can:
"Be a normal teenager/young adult and enjoy my college experience with
my regular hearing peers. Now that I'm away at college, I can call my
family and tell them all about my day and about the things going on in
my life."
My Favorite Sounds:
"I love hearing my family talking, laughing and having a great time
with me.
The horn/beeps from my new car when I lock it.
Music from the direct connect cord to my ipod when I go jogging, laying
on the beach, etc.
Music in the background at a restaurant or a coffee shop."
Blog Archive
Other Resources:
Adult Bloggers:
Young Adult/Teen Bloggers:
Pediatric Bloggers:
Other ways to find me:
Samantha Brilling's Facebook profile
Twitter
Email: CreativeSam1@aol.com
AIM: CreativeSam1
Skype: Bluelime0501
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