Meet Lee Knight

Lee Knight has had a cochlear implant since 1990. Every year since then, his hearing abilities have improved thanks to his forever-evolving implant technology.

Lee was born hearing. But at six months old he had meningitis, leaving him with a hearing loss. Lee was fitted with hearing aids, but they were of little use, especially as his hearing got worse. When he reached the second grade, Lee became completely deaf.

Around this time, which was back in the late 1980s, Lees parents began aggressively researching new hearing technologies. They came across a cochlear implant from Cochlear Americas called the Spectra 22. Lee and his parents liked what they learned and opted for implant surgery.

I got my nifty Spectra 22 in 1990. Every year after that I had it programmed to increase my hearing abilities, says Lee.

About twelve years later, in September of 2002, Lee learned about a newer implant called the ESPrit implant. Its smaller size appealed to Lee, given his active, athletic lifestyle. Lee gave up his old Spectra 22 and switched over to the new ESPrit.

I am now wearing the ESPrit and have been told that my hearing skills are better than 50% of the people in the nation, Lee says proudly. I enjoy music every single day and am a big Static X fan. I enjoy sports more than I used to because the ESPrit is smaller than my Spectra 22. I also better communicate with friends, family, and elders because my newer implant has dual microphones, not just one. I communicate so well that half the time when I talk to people they dont even realize Im deaf.