Kayla Cochlear N7 Processor Fund

Kayla our youngest daughter was born with a significant hearing loss however through the miracle of modern technology/medicine she was given the gift of hearing. Throughout the years NYC insurance/Services has afforded us the benefits needed to sustain this technology without a significant financial burden. Moving to Florida has provided Kayla with a better environment but removed the medical benefits and services NYC offered. Kayla's processors which allows her to hear has been going bad over the last 2 year and she is need of new processors. While we have been approved through medical necessity, the cost is overwhelming. These new processors can cost us in the upwards of $10,000 if we are not approved for In Network benefits. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to cover the cost of the Cochlear Implants at the In-Network level.

Here is a speech Kayla did during her first year in the Florida School system: 

Have you ever wondered What it is like to have a hearing loss? Well today I'm going to share with share with you a little bit about my experiences and my families. What do I mean by experiences, I mean how they felt in the past about my hearing loss and stories about my hearing loss.

I don't remember much because I was too little, so I will tell you what I do remember. I would go to the audiologist and they would put me in a room and see if I can hear or to see if both sides of my cochlear implants were working. My experiences are very different than my mom's experiences, but first a story.  Right after I was born, and they brought me to my mom there was a big loud bang that startled my mom. I didn’t get scared and my mom was concerned about me because I wasn't startled after a Big Bang like that. The doctors tested me soon after and gave my mom the results. She found out that I was deaf, and it hurt her for months. She cried and would blame herself that she'd made me deaf. My mom and my dad's experiences are similar but different. Here's my dad take on my hearing loss. My dad was scared that I would never hear my parent’s voices and the doctor told my dad that I was only hearing at 10% with hearing aids.  He was worried that I might lose the hearing aids because it kept falling off. Now a little bit about my sibling’s reactions to my hearing loss.  My brother Noel was scared that people would not treat me like a regular kid.  He was also scared that I wouldn't grow up properly and experience things. For example, not being able to jump in the pool or travel. When I first got my cochlear implants and they were turned on I looked at my brother and I started crying and he started crying. Why? because he was worried about me and I was crying because it was my first-time hearing. My sister Destiny told me that every day she would bring me to guitar class. Why did I need guitar class? so I can be able to hear different sounds also to enjoy the different kinds of music. During the day or night that would be noise. Destiny would make sure that I wouldn't wake up because she would forget I have a hearing loss. One day my parents went to a restaurant (when I only had hearing aids) and someone came up to them and was talking about Cochlear Implants. When they got home, they researched more about it before you know it, I got one implant on August 2009 and the 2nd June 2010.

As you can see these are my family's experiences and feelings on my hearing loss. Here's my true feelings about my hearing loss. I really wish everybody would treat me like a regular kid. Everybody should not think my hearing loss is the whole me. I have way more than my hearing loss. My hearing loss does not define, it's just the part of me. 

For more information on Cochlear Implant technology, visit: https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/home