Nancy Sinclair-Estes heard without the use of a hearing aid, for the first time in almost three decades. The Lebanese woman – who has been suffering from extreme hear-loss since her early twenties – had a cochlear implant fitted last week. She only recently discovered that she would be a candidate for the procedure and is now delighted. The mother of four, three of her children also suffer from hearing loss. To correct the hearing, the implant bypasses the cochlea’s damaged cells which is a main cause of hearing loss, and thereafter stimulates the hearing nerve.
The 51-year-old’s hearing started deteriorating in her late teens but it wasn’t until a few years later – when she hit 22 – that she got her hearing aids. She did that as she had to be told by her husband that she hadn’t heard her baby crying. Shortly thereafter there was a rapid deterioration in her hearing loss. It wasn’t until the implants were fitted that she was able to hear much of anything; to communicate she would rely on lip-reading.
Once she left the office, Nancy was immediately able to hear her son’s voice, without having to lip-read him. She actually heard his voice for the first time ever! She couldn’t believe it and was clearly delighted. Prior to the procedure however, she was somewhat nervous. Having lived in a close-to-silent world for around 30 years, she was apprehensive of what she might hear and what it might be like. Now, she’s incredibly grateful for what she is hearing.