Tears filled her parents’ eyes the moment Lauren White heard the sounds of their voices for the first time. Deaf since birth, the 18-month-old Wheaton toddler blinked in surprise when her cochlear implants were programmed at Adventist Paulson Pediatric Rehabilitation Center.
“Nothing can compare to that moment,” said Jennifer White, Lauren’s mother.
Lauren was the first child to undergo simultaneous bilateral cochlear implant surgery at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital, the only hospital in the western suburbs performing cochlear implants on pediatric patients. Neurotologist Dr. Robert Battista conducted the surgery, which involves implanting in the inner ear a tiny electronic device called a cochlear implant. Unlike hearing aids, the implant does not make sound louder or clearer. Instead, cochlear implants bypass damaged parts of the inner ear and send electrical signals directly to the hearing nerve. The brain processes these signals into sound. The implants are activated by devices worn outside the ear on both sides of the head.
Over the next few months, Lauren will return to Adventist Paulson Pediatric Rehabilitation Center several times for additional implant programming sessions to ensure that her sound levels are set at appropriate levels. She also will continue to undergo speech and physical therapy over the next several months or years, but her parents hope she can eventually attend a mainstream school.
“Lauren’s ability to hear will gradually improve because the brain needs time and training to learn to process the new sounds it hears,” Battista said. “Eventually, we hope she will be able to distinguish Bach from Beethoven.”
Battista and the other physicians at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital’s Center for Hearing Restoration and Ear Research offer patients and their families a comprehensive range of diagnostic services and surgical treatments for ear and hearing problems. This includes profound deafness treated with cochlear implants, perforations of the ear drum, otosclerosis, acoustic tumors, balance disorders and facial nerve problems. Doctors at the center provide local patients an opportunity to receive expert services close to home. The center also participates in national clinical trials, giving patients an opportunity to be among the first to experience cutting-edge medicine.