Cochlear™ India called for bloggers in Bangalore for a meet
and greet event with Brett Lee. Only after I attended the event did I realize
how serious the event was going to get.
It all started with a game of Dumb Charades. 4 bloggers
volunteered to act while rest of us had our laughs as we guessed what they were
trying to convey. Then came the question of what if we had to play that game
all our life. In most cases the loss of speech is due to the primary reason
that as a child, they were not able to hear anything. The first step towards
any solution is accepting that there is a problem. This was the agenda behind
the Cochlear™ Bloggers’ meet – understanding about hearing loss and the remedy
that is available for it.
Dr Vasanthi Anand, an ENT specialist started to explain to us
about the popular taboos that are preventing early detection and cure. The
major taboo is that when a kid does not speak till the age of 2, people just call
him/her as a slow learner and give examples of grandparents or relatives who
learned to talk late. She pointed out that people get tested at the slightest
hint of blurred vision but do not do the same in case of problems with hearing.
She stressed on how this should change and how a screening test needs to be
routine just like other medical check-ups.
Many of the children suffer from hearing loss due to issues
with the hearing nerve. While sign language and hearing aids are largely used,
it is not an effective permanent solution. Dr. Anand explained to us the
implant process which starts by detection followed by the implant and ends with
a therapy session along with lip reading to familiarize the implanted with
sounds. Dr. Anand also told us that we should clarify our doubts with the ENT
specialist or any of the people who got the implant instead of just assuming negative
things.
She then introduced us to Shobith, the 4 year old who was
diagnosed with hearing loss 6 months ago. We got to listen to Shobith speak and
his mom explained to us about how the implant has changed their life.
Speaking of the cost of the entire implant process, Dr.
Anand mentioned that it will cost anywhere between 5L to 12L including surgery
and post-surgery treatments. When discussing the affordability to common man,
Dr. Anand pointed out that it is a better investment than saving up or taking
loan for weddings.
Brett Lee, the Cochlear™ Hearing Ambassador later talked to
us about his experience of working with the hearing impaired children and how
various countries are working towards solving this problem. Regarding India he
said that we are still in the early phases where we need to have a mass
movement to get people tested and accept that it is ok to get a surgery done
and that hearing loss is curable. He also narrated an incident where his son
fell and was not able to hear properly through one of the ears. Relating to Cricket,
he called the surgeon as the captain of the team with other doctors as support
staff and the family as the major players in the team. He then made a joke about how the umpires need
a Cochlear implant to give the right caught behind wicket.
The event ended with all the bloggers getting an autographed
poster and a photo with Brett Lee himself. It feels good to be associated with
a noble cause that aims at helping every person hear the amazing world of
sounds. And as its IPL season now, let’s hope we all enjoy the #SoundsOfCricket.
For more details you can check out http://www.cochlear.com/wps/
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