In the beginning

*There are a number of links throughout this post to provide you, the reader, with an enriched experience of knowledge without interrupting the flow of the story. Please do educate yourself by following the links if you would like information and definitions for further understanding!*

If you are interested a number of links are listed at the end of this post that journal our adventures on our family blog. Posts from the initial hearing tests to her activation, just this week, are listed! Enjoy!

Our story:

We were first introduced to the idea that Corrina may be deaf when I was having lunch with a friend and her mother. They have a niece in their family that is also profoundly deaf and was implanted with a cochlear implant 10 years ago. The mother just mentioned that while Corrina was playing very nicely on her own she hadn't made a peep, which for a 6 month old is really odd. No one had ever suggested that she wasn't hearing, but as this family had experience with a deaf child we took the thought seriously and eventually investigated into a potential hearing loss. Our first visit with our doctor, who is a GP and not a pediatrician, resulted in a referral for an infant hearing test, although the doctor really did not think she wasn't hearing. Luckily he is a smart guy and said "I have learned after many years of practice to listen to the mom!"
After 3 appointments with the same audiologist in a sound booth and very inconsistent results we were referred to Winnipeg Children's Hospital for an ABR which verified that indeed Corrina was profoundly deaf (they indicated amount of hearing loss using the words mild, moderate, severe, severe to profound, and profound). That was in January. We were then given loads of information regarding the different options for families of deaf children. We decided, after visiting each clinic/center, to have a cochlear implant for Corrina and to pursue therapy at Central Speech and Hearing Clinic, which is now were we go sometimes twice a week for audiology and therapy. Corrina visited Sick Kids hospital in Toronto, Canada, on May 1st, 2007 for her implantation surgery which went was successful with a speedy recovery. It is important to understand that in regards to deciding to integrate Corrina into the hearing world through a cochlear implant that this was the right choice for our family, but certainly not the right choice for every family. We hope to have Corrina learn sign language as a second language (perhaps once she has started school) so that she is able to make a choice for herself one day, as well so that she can be involved in the deaf community, a rich opportunity we would not want her to miss out on.
This blog will detail the exciting and mundane speech and listening milestones that Corrina accomplishes. We cannot say was we expect to see in the next month even as each child moves at their own pace through the stages of speech. Many links are listed in the sidebar for anyone interested in understanding more about hearing loss. If you suspect that your child is having difficulty hearing, either a small or large amount, please do investigate as clear hearing and speech are a very integral part of all children's development.

We welcome comments and questions about the process. We would love to hear your story or visit your blog if you too have a child with a hearing loss; please let us know you have come by and read our stories!

Here are the links to our original posts as we went through the process of discovering Corrina's hearing loss (from our family blog):

From the beginning:

Does she hear what I hear?
What we Know (A post about her ABR hearing test)
Choices to make (to implant or not to implant, that is the question!)
Hearing Aid Time
Bilateral Implant? (still working on getting funding for this actually)
Surgery is a Go!
Post Surgery
The moment we've all been waiting for: Corrina's Activation (video's up soon)!