Michael J. Brown - February 8th, 2010
Born in Calgary in 1969, I have spent my life in Calgary, the city I love. I was born with a condition know as hemifacial mircosomia. A condition that left me with only one ear and the belief that I would be deaf on my right side for the rest of my life. I never thought of myself as having a hearing disability. I just needed some concessions to get through life.
6 years ago, with the simple question from one of my clients, "Mike, what happened to your ear?", my life would change forever. With a specialized hearing test I would discover that I did indeed had full hearing on my right side. I had just never been given the ability to use it.
With the miracle of modern medicine and the technical advancement in bone anchored hearing aids (BAHA), I was given the gift I never thought I would get. Hearing and a new ear! I was able to hear on both sides of my head for the first time in my life. I was also given a prosthetic ear to complete my transformation.
I believe that all this happened to me for a reason. I believe that I now have an obligation to let others know what I went through and how much my life has changed with my BAHA and my new ear. Mine is a story of discovery and joy.
I have become an advocate for other BAHA users and Cochlear Canada. I hope my story will help others see the potential and the advancements in hearing aid technology and how other people with hearing loss may benefit from these advancements.
What is a BAHA?
The BAHA is a surgically implantable system for treatment of hearing loss that works through direct bone conduction. It has been used since 1977, and was cleared by the FDA in 1996 as a treatment for conductive and mixed hearing losses in the United States. In 2002, the FDA approved its use for the treatment of unilateral sensorineural hearing loss.
BAHA is used to help people with chronic ear infections, congenital external auditory canal atresia and single sided deafness, people who cannot benefit from conventional hearing aids. The system is surgically implanted and allows sound to be conducted through the bone rather than via the middle ear - a process known as direct bone conduction.
For more information about CHHA-Calgary Meetings and the location, please visit About CHHA.
To read about previous guest speakers, please choose one of the links below:
- November 2009 - Sylvia Bird, part-time Tinnitus Coordinator at Deaf & Hard of Hearing Society (DHHS) in Calgary, Alberta, spoke about tinnitus and some of the treatments available to help in managing this condition.
- September 2009 - Recap of the 2009 St. John's Conference from members who attended.
- June 2009 - Representatives from Phonak shared information about current technologies that help improve hearing for hard of hearing individuals in the presence of background noise and to connect to modern communication devices such as cell phones.
- April 2009 - Dave Evans, the Medical Base Manager and Flight Paramedic for STARS spoke about STARS services and about how knowing what to expect in an emergency situation requiring transportation by STARS will reduce the stress of a traumatic experience.
- February 2009 - Pauline Mathezer, a trained volunteer for the Canada Revenue Agency, spoke about completing income tax returns including the importance of filing and claiming all credits to which a person is entitled such as medical, transit, employment and the Disability Tax Credit.
- November 2008 - Stacie Tidlund, graduate of the Disability Studies program at Mount Royal College, spoke about her CHHA-Calgary sponsored practicum in Malaysia working with people with hearing loss.
- October 2008 - Stephen McKibbon, SeniorConnect Coordinator and services provided by Calgary Senior's Resource Society
- September 2008 - CHHA-Calgary members who attended the Canadian Hard of Hearing / International Federation of Hard of Hearing Congress held in Vancouver this summer presented information from the workshops they attended. The Congress attracted speakers and delegates from around the world and focused on hearing loss management in other countries.
- May 2008 - Pacific Assistance Dogs
- April 2008 - James Zackowski - Executive Director of Calgary Rotary Challenger Park
- March 2008 - Michael Lepitre - financial and tax education
- February 2008 - Dr. Carrie Scarff - researcher and private practice Doctor of Audiology
- January 2008 - No Meeting
- December 2007 - Christmas Party
- November 2007 - Pacific Assistance Dogs
- October 2007 - Marianne Flanagan, Speech/Language Pathologist