We were amazed at what was going on there when we visited, and that experience more than any other caused us to realize that my son could have a bright and happy future. My wife and I eventually had to consider and weigh risks before we could make an informed decision for our son. We were initially concerned that an implant might malfunction once implanted. The failure rate, however, for cochlear implant devices is negligible. My wife and I felt strongly that giving our son a CI early in life would give him the highest probability of getting maximum benefit over time.
Infection is extremely rare.
We realized early on that any residual hearing that may be present on the ear that is receiving the implant will be lost as a result of the implantation. My son is diagnosed as severe to profound and so cochlear implantation became a potential opportunity for him to gain much more hearing. The benefit, therefore, to be derived from the implant hopefully will far outweigh the loss of the natural residual hearing. The loss of the residual hearing is, however, something that every family must understand. There is a limited window of opportunity associated with a child s ability to learn to speak.