Accessorizing a Cochlear Implant

It's true...I can accessorize my implant. The other day, I received an email from my implant specialist asking what colors I wanted my implant to be. Unfortunately, they don't have orange...believe me, I checked. In the end, I chose to go with beige for the main part (which is similar to the color my hearing aid is now) and brown for the part that will magnetically attach to my head (which hopefully will blend in with my brown hair at the back of my head). Should work to be a good color scheme for me, and hopefully I can find a small white tiger paw sticker to put on the circular piece at the back of my head...what a way to shcw some school spirit!

In any case, the whole situation reminded me of an article I wrote my senior year of high school for our school newspaper, the Tribal Tribune. It is one of the best school newspapers in the country (if I might be so bold to say...definitely won our share of national awards) and it was definitely one of the greatest experiences of my high school career. If you're interested, check out Tribal Tribune website.

In any case, check out this article I wrote...I was proud of it and even though it applies to my hearing aid (as opposed to a cochlear) it still applies in either situation. By the way, I am finding it extremely hard to distinguish between a cochlear and a hearing aid...I'm so not used to the concept of ME having a cochlear, that I keep saying my hearing aid, and then I have to go back and say, wait, I meant my COCHLEAR!

Without further ado:

"The moment I heard about them, I had to get my hands on one.
CD quality sound.
The ultimate in providing clarity of voice.
Naturally balanced soud levels that provide the perfect settings for listening to music.
Automatic volume adjustment allows users to attain a preset volume at the push of a button? Completely unheard of.
Available in eight colors, including red and green. Are you kidding me?
All of these features provided by a battery the size of a dime. It sounds like a technological breakthrough too good to be true.
Brand new, top of the line, $2099 a piece. There was no question; the Senso Widex P38s were the best in the market.
So maybe you've never heard of them. Perhaps you want to purchase some for yourself. Maybe from all this you think I bought a pretty good sound system for my room or car.
Me? Own a stereo system? Yeah, right...I'm talking about my hearing aid.
Being a member of the "hearing aid club" has its share of interesting moments. Older citizens, who usually don't have cars loaded with accessories to brag about to their friends, instead brag about the accessories they have in their ears.
I should know, I've had some older adults want to compare the accessories and specifications of my hearing aid in some quirky contest of hearing aid superiority.
In all seriousness, I'm proud to be a member of the "hearing aid club." Granted, it has its drawbacks. But then again, if you could show me a non-handicapped person who doesn't suffer his or her share of unique problems, I'd be very surprised.
Overcoming the barrier of hearing impairment is just another one of the many challenges I've had the opportunity to deal with during my life. I strongly believe my hearing impairment is a way for me to prove to others that whatever handicaps - whether physical or emotional - people possess, we are all humans with the desire to love and be loved.
While I don't expect, or even ask for, pity from others, I do find myself in search of those with compassion. Compassionate people are more willing to do whatever it takes to put me on equal footing with them.
These people are willing to go the extra mile whether by including me in conversations, making sure I can hear them, or even turning to face me so I can read their lips. For these compassionate people, this doesn't take an extreme amount of effort, just a little more thought.
But to whom much is given, much is required. I can't ask for this sort of compassion from others without returning the favor. My hearing impairment has been a blessing in that it has made me more aware of the need to be forgiving and compassionate of other people's handicaps.
The next time you see someone struggling to overcome any sort of barrier, I challenge you to remember a time when someone helped you overcome a barrier of your own. Very few of us, especially me, would be where we are today if it weren't for the extra boost we've received from others along the way."

And there you have it. Hope you liked.

I'll post more soon...I've got some stuff running around in my head I might feel the need to get off my chest.