After experiencing profound hearing loss since age 7, a cochlear implant was life-changing for athletic trainer Jessica VanTroostenberghe. She went from silence to hearing the world in vibrant detail—from rustling leaves to conversations in crowded rooms. “If I didn’t have hearing aids in, and I were to put my head right against a speaker playing music with lots of bass, I could feel the vibrations but couldn’t actually hear anything” recalls Jessica, who struggled to communicate even with hearing aids and lip-reading. As an adult, she considered cochlear implants after struggling to keep up in her career and daily life. Jessica then decided to have the surgery after meeting with Dr. Laura Brainard, our otolaryngologist who specializes in ear conditions, including hearing loss, and Dr. Chelsea Conrad, our audiologist and clinical program coordinator for cochlear implants. With the support of her care team, she received her first implant and began a rigorous process of retraining her brain to interpret sound. “They didn’t rush me,” Jessica says. “They answered every question and prepared me for every possibility. Their kindness and patience were invaluable.” Jessica emphasizes that her care team gave her the opportunity to be a better person, to be a bigger person, to help others, and to be better for herself and her family, as well as her patients. Read Jessica’s story: https://bit.ly/4cVEXc3 (fb)

While the internet and social media might be tempting tools for medical self-diagnosis, use these tips to proceed with caution: https://bit.ly/3SC2lBV (fb)