The cochlear implant, installed in the ear of a 6-year-old boy in June, has already become the 250th since HSC Surgical Hearing Implant Program began in 2011.
To mark this historic achievement for provincial medicine, Health Sciences Centre on Sunday organized a barbecue. The boy, who is a jubilee patient, is called Mathew Spears. At the age of 1.5 years, he was diagnosed with meningitis and because of the rapid spread of infection, Mathew completely lost his hearing.
The boy's parents were shocked by what had happened and were already thinking about teaching the boy the language of gestures. However, the doctors of HSC managed to perform another small miracle. The operation was conducted after a few weeks after a medical examination of the boy. The mother of the child said that she is incredibly happy that when her son will go to the first grade he will hear, just like everyone else.
The cochlear implant is the foremost word in ear medicine at the moment. It is installed in cases where the earplugs do not help to enhance the sound. The peculiarity of such an implant is that it replaces sound waves with electrical impulses that are transmitted directly to the human brain.
Any resident of Manitoba with deep hearing disorders has the right to install a cochlear implant.
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