Stephen K.

Tell us a bit about yourself

I’m Stephen, an Army veteran in my seventies. I entered the Army in 1970 and worked with an artillery unit. Many of my assignments exposed me to varying degrees of noise. I noticed my hearing loss in my 40s. My wife started asking why I didn’t answer the doorbell for our apartment. It was because I did not hear it! We both knew that something was wrong. I had my hearing tested, and we found out I had a moderate to severe hearing loss in both ears. I was fitted with hearing aids. Years later, in 2007, I was struggling to communicate even with the best efforts of my audiologist. I became withdrawn and frustrated.

That year, I received a Cochlear™ Hearing Implant in my right ear and was activated with wonderful results. I started hearing sounds again that I had not heard in years. Each sound that came back was a WOW moment, I treasure each one. Still hearing those sounds is a wonderful feeling. A year and a half later, I received another Cochlear Hearing Implant on my other ear.

My biggest satisfaction as a volunteer is providing information that helps answer questions for people considering cochlear implants. One of the rewards of mentoring others is being able to expand my understanding and reinforcing my knowledge. I’ve supported many adults with hearing loss, many of whom are veterans and enrolled in the VA health care system. I enjoy helping others.

Top advice for mentees:

• Be patient when going through your hearing journey. Things take a while to sort out.
• Maintain good communication with your audiologist. He or she will be working with you for years and wants you to have the best possible outcome.

Watch Stephen's video