A promise is a promise

Today I was checking my blog and I remembered I made a promise to share my experience at the beach from a preview article that I wrote, textual quote: “I know that for some people or hearing people may think it’s silly, but I have a dream and that is to hear the sea again and the sound of waves breaking on the shore. It will be very rewarding for me because brings me so many beautiful memories of my childhood, when my father used to take my brother and I to the beach to enjoy those sounds and relax. I'll tell you my experience about this in an upcoming video.” I was able to make my dream come true after 6 years since the last time I went to beach and 4 years of being deaf.

On last December I went to Cancún-México for the GICCA(Grupo Iberoamericano de Implantes Cocleares y Ciencias Afines or Iberoamerican Group of Cochlear Implants and Related Sciences)  Congress. I was there to  promote the N6 sound processor and myself as a N6 user, it was a great experience and an opportunity to meet the physicians from all over the world and share experiences, updates about the Cochlear brand, and how this sound processor makes a positive impact on me.


Here's a pic...

Now about that paragraph I quoted, let me share with you that moment at the beach. So, here we were at this stunning beach my friend and I, and I heard shhhhiuusushh shhhiiiuuushhhs over and over again, the breeze is messing my hair, I feel this energy inside me and started running, play with the water, stomping the sand so hard with my biggest smile. By that moment I was the child that used to go to beach with her dad and brother to have a relaxing day, it was a special moment for me.  

I enjoyed those sounds so much, I wasn't able to relax at all; because all my senses were at high functioning, specially my hearing. To be able to hear the sound of the waves, of the breeze, of my stomps in the sand, of our laughs has no comparison. Maybe that’s why I waited so long for this moment and didn't take the chance with my 2 previews sound processors, because I wanted to really enjoy it with this smart sound processor the N6.

Nothing compares to having all your 5 senses at 100%, it was multi-sensory experience. My CI completed it.

Here’s the video!

What’s new? It's been a while since my last post

So we meet again, after 2 years since my last post, a lot of things have happened and I would like to share it with you.

In 2011 I got an amazing job as an adviser at a local Cochlear distributor in my country, Adrial Médico Quirúrgico. Main part of my job is to guide cochlear implant candidates and recipients based on my experience as a CI user and the training that I have in the area given by Cochlear.

When I first meet a CI candidate that is going to buy an CI to our offices I don’t try to be like a salesman: if you buy 2 cochlear implants the third one is for free, no! Is not like that at all… I am familiarized with the prices but I do not talk about any topic of the sales department, that just would send the wrong message to the candidates and their families and I’m just an adviser, a guide in this amazing journey they are going to begin.  My work is based on 3 steps:

1. Getting to know the person in front of me: what is his/her story? How old is he/she? Who is his/her family? And…. Let me stop right here! With this I’m trying to know what happened before they started losing hearing. Or he/she was born deaf? How this hearing loss or deafness affects the family, friends, co-workers, but most important himself. What are his/her expectations about the CI? What are his/her aspirations in life? And if it’s a child that I’m trying to know depending of his/her age I try get the answer my strategy change, I love to to some playtime, if it’s a toddler again, like I said before I change my strategy and try to get to more the mommy this time. That’s how I get to know the real person in front of me!
2. To know the exact diagnosis of the candidate: a toughy one, oh yeah! Because you have of this medical terms and also, you have to have some knowledge in the field of audiology. I’m not an audiologist, but been able to work in this company has bring the opportunity to learn the diagnoses for hearing loss, I've been in CI surgeries as an observer to learn the surgery process live, and being trained by Cochlear also completes me in a way the I can at least understand what the candidate are talking about when they share their diagnose with me.
3. Cochlear implant introduction: Based on the information I have now from step 1 and 2, here comes the basics of the cochlear implant Nucleus 6 or CP810 the latest technology and how this is going to change his/her life for good. In this step I see how after I present the CI information to them how their expectations take place and as adviser try to give them the best guidance so those expectations don't sabotage their hearing learning experience.

What about recipients? Well, I have a volunteer network and we work in Cochlear Awareness across country so the information about Cochlear CI can reach to those who need the most. And also I give them training in: how to use the remote control, how to improve hearing in noise environments, to use the phone, to keep clean the sound processor, to improve hearing when listen music, and the list continues because it depends on what the recipient needs.

It’s been very rewarding to do what I do in Adrial, I can continue typing of what I do there and just be happy to do share it!

Here are some pics of my job! He he! As working lady!

But, that’s not all… I started studying psicopedagogía it’s similar to educational psychology. I’m now 2 semesters away from graduate! It’s wonderful to study this because completes what I do at work. Sure, you’ll know what is psicopedagogía? Well, is a branch of psychology that studies the cognitive and emotional development of individuals from infancy through adolescence and how this affects their learning acquisition process.  It is able to detect early signs of learning difficulties in their schooling.

I guess, I miss something very important to share with you… Last December I upgrade to Nucleus 6! :D I have a story for that! he he!

Stay connected to my blog and I’ll share my upgrade experience very soon!