Evy Grubb’s Cochlear Upgrade

I wanted to ask for assistance for the family of Ashleigh Grubb. As many people already know her daughter Evynn has Cochlear Implants that were placed in the January of 2012. Her external processor is what she wears on the outside of her head, and she wears one on each ear. The “life expectancy” of these processors are approximately 5 years, give or take. This January her processors turned 6 years old and in those 6 years, the manufacturer, Cochlear, has come out with 3 newer, more advanced models. In the past 6 months or so, her parents, as well as her deaf education teachers, have noticed Evynn struggling a little to hear with her current devices. In addition, Cochlear announced that as of May 2018, her current processor will be going obsolete, which means they will no longer make the processor or it’s parts, and therefore will not repair or replace them. Knowing all of this information, her parents knew they needed to look into getting her an upgrade which would replace the current processors with the newest model. Although she has double insurance coverage through both of her parents employers (Wentzville being one), they were told our patient responsibility will be about 30% which totals around $9,000. This is an expense that most families can not afford, yet the very thing that we all take for granted, hearing, is something Evynn needs these devices for.



Ashleigh Grubb has been an Dispatcher for the City of Wentzville for 5 years. She has tried to speak with decision makers in Wentzville to make hearing supplies(necessities in this case) something our insurance could cover and they have been unable to accommodate . They pay for two different insurance premiums a month, as well as having 3 children in their home to care for. This will most likely not be the only time these expenses come up for the Grubb family, as these devices require so much maintenance and upgrades. The parts for these devices if lost are broken are incredibly expensive and it’s never been easy for them to cover them at time. The stress this family goes through just to make sure Evynn can hear and function like a normal child is just overwhelming. 

The Grubb Family appreciates any generosity shown, as do I.