Baha_Implant

Jim Anderson Professor Jennifer Duff College Writing Skills ENG015 E1 16 June 2010 Week 11 Assignment Growing up through childhood can be a major milestone to accomplish. Every child just wants to be accepted. I have often have had difficult times being accepted into the “in” crowd. Physical features that normal kids are born with are things like two eyes, two hands, and two ears. Children that are born with body abnormalities have a harder time trying to adjust. to their adaptations. Unfortunately, due to a birth defect, I was born with no left ear. Additionally, there is no opening in my left ear for me to hear from. As a result, I have decided to pursue a hearing restoration procedure that involves multiples surgeries to allow me to be able to hear from both sides like a normal person would. While growing up, my condition has made it very hard for me to make friends and live a normal lifestyle. Now that I am older, I am seeking medical assistance with a skull-implanted hearing aid to allow me to hear as if I have both ears to hear from. My main goal isI am looking to have 80 – 100% hearing restored to my left side and look normal.. I have always struggled with my self-confidence growing due to my physical appearance of my left ear deformity. Having only one ear has not made it easy to play the piano. I feel that due to my lack of my left ear and hearing, my piano skills are much strong that than of a personmost people of my age. My mind is forced to listen to the music in attempts to cancel out all other background noises. This is my true reason why I feel that I am a top musician for my age. No other person, such as I, has the ability to play by ear (‘no pun intended’) and adapt to any music style that I am constantly exposed to. Most children are usually forced at some time or another to have to play a music instrument. I have picked up with ease my piano playing skills that are now second nature as well if not faster than others that are my age or older. Given the opportunity to hear from both sides would change my hear perception and depth quality 200%! Right now, I can separate music, singers, and much more in my mind just from my right ear. Getting this surgical implant performed will allow me to hear from both sides. This would be like eating chocolate pudding for the first time again. I have had this condition all of my life and am ready to get my hearing corrected. Along with this microcia condition, it has always been hard to me to make friends. I do feel like a freak sometimes but always remind myself that there will be one day that my hearing and aesthetic looks will be restored to brand new! I often feel out of place having only one hear because everyone people looks at me funny. I can only imagine what is going through their minds. All of the snickering and laughing behind my back due to my self image has really taken a toll on me. For this reason, I feel uncomfortable to going out in public. I do not like to get strange looks from everybody. Once I get my hearing implant, I feel that I will not be a freak anymore. with my aesthetic looks due to my lack of my left ear. I will have prosthetic left ear that looks so real that no one can tell the difference unless up close. This to me means a completely new world I can explore. Nor more laughing and funny stares at my left side of my head from birth defects. I will be more than glad to show off my new ear and hearing aid. I am a person who supports technology fully to all me to be able to hear like a normal person would. For the most part, I believe that my pride has gotten in the way of having a hearing aid sticking out of the side o my head, but I believe and have come to conclusion that it is cool to have technology attached to your body. What would be the difference from having a Bluetooth device showing on the side of your my head and having a hearing aid showing from the back of your my head' None that I see now! I will embrace the hearing aid I will embrace the hearing aid with open arms! Years ago, I would have not been caught dead with a piece of technology sticking out of the side of my head, but on a day to day basis at my job, I wear Plantronics wireless head-set system that allows me to take my phone calls from 300 feet away from my desk. I always have questions about my geekiness and fully embrace it. The better reason for me to get the hearing device implanted into the side of my head is to show off my computer skills. . This is something else that people can ask questions about and I can fill them in about. Ultimately, for more positive reasons than negative, I have decided to get this hearing restoration surgery performed. The benfitsbenefits from having a heighted sense of musically abilities alone are enough to make me get the surgery completed as quickly as possible. Also being able to fit into the public social crowd and not stick out like a sore thumb is another good reason to get the surgery. My final and favorite reason that I am planning is that apparently it is cool to have technology literally attached to your body like wedding rings. I hope that I will be able to hear, as I never have before in 27 years that I have been alive.