The sounds of everyday life are music to the Horrell-Schmitz family's ears. Nichola Horrell-Schmitz and her 6-year-old daughter, Katrina, both received cochlear implants at the Midwest Ear Institute. "Now I can call my daughter from a distance," Nichola said, "and she turns around to respond to me."
Cochlear implants, which are surgically inserted into patients' ears, allow Nichola and Katrina to perceive sound by electrically stimulating the hearing nerve. The result is clear, crisp sound, rather than the muddled noise their hearing aids produced.
Sweet Sound of Life
Hundreds of patients turn to Saint Luke's Hospital's Midwest Ear Institute and its broad range of services each year to help improve their quality of life. It is one of the nation's leaders in cochlear implant technology, drawing patients from the Midwest to the Middle East. It is also a regional leader in testing for hearing disorders and ear-related balance disorders.
Katrina was fortunate to receive an implant at a young age and has developed auditory and verbal skills. Nichola enjoys environmental sounds and can't imagine life now without music.
"I didn't take the deaf world away from Katrina," Nichola said. "I gave her the hearing world. She can grow up able to succeed in both."
Featured Video
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About 80 patients a year undergo this life-changing procedure at Midwest Ear Institute, a nationally recognized cochlear implant center. Patients have ranged in age from 9 months to 93 years. MEI's first, 500th, and 1,000th cochlear implant patients share their experience.
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Ivan and Ella Von Mosch aced their newborn hearing tests. So their mother was surprised...and heartbroken...when she received the news: Her infants had mysteriously become deaf. For help, the family turned to the Midwest Ear Institute...
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