Fictional But Entirely Possible

The stage is set. The players take their places and the audience falls into their seats. Once the play is over, the audience erupts in applause, yet the star of the show cannot hear them and longs to hear once more. The look on the actor's face is one of joy but the tears streaming down her face are those of sadness at knowing that she can never hear again. Or can she?

The scenario of the actor is fictional but entirely possible. There are many late-deafened adults in the United States who can benefit from this device and should educate themselves on the different CIs and their benefits. As well, parents (whether hearing or deaf) should educate themselves and decide together if the CI is the right choice for their child. Technology, like all things, progresses at an advanced pace and even before it's ready for consumer perusal. One thing that has been ready for about 30 years now is the Cochlear Implant. Able to restore hearing to those who are late-deafened adults or give hearing to those born without it so they can learn to function and excel in a hearing world, the CI is a technical marvel. There are caveats though, as to its effectiveness, mostly given to the individual who may or may not be a good candidate for the CI. The main "sticking point" would be whether or not the adult's Cochlea is fully developed or the child is implanted as an infant and put through sound and speech therapy. If the adult has memory of sound with a fully developed Cochlea, then they should be an excellent candidate.