Catching up

I had an unexpected but most welcome visitor at work yesterday. The woman who I wrote about here, the first person I peer-counseled after getting my implant, had kept in occasional touch with me by email - my last contact was an exchange of Christmas cards, I think - but yesterday she dropped by my office to see me.

I often refer to people I've met who've had the implant, or who have close family members who've been implanted, as being part of my "CI family". There is a definite sense of instantly having something in common, of shared experience. That is certainly how I felt about seeing this woman again, and we sat and talked and laughed for a good half-hour about common experiences and common acquaintences (like the staff at the Nova Scotia Speech and Hearing Centre) and so on.

The most gratifying thing for me was her great enthusiasm for her life and results post-implant. Like everyone I've peer-counseled so far, she, unlike me, had residual hearing in the implanted ear - hearing she was definitely going to lose if implanted. So she took a much bigger risk than I did. I am so happy that her decision has been the right one for her and has added so much to her quality of life! A good visit indeed.

ronnie