Meet Elijah

Elijah and his identical twin brother, Ezekiel, were born on January 13, 1999.  While his brother was not born with the same condition, Elijah’s hearing loss was identified at birth, and at the age of six weeks, he was fitted with a bone conduction hearing aid.  Shannon, Elijah’s mother, crafted an adjustable headband to hold the aid in place. 

Almost five years later, Elijah’s parents learned about the Baha system from Dr. Matthew Ng, an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Specialist with the University of Nevada.  Elijah underwent two separate surgeries to receive bilateral fitting of the Baha system.  Since then, according to his mother, he has been hearing almost normally.

“Elijah is in a regular first grade class with his brother,” she says.  “His audiologists are amazed at his hearing levels.” 

Shannon credits the combination of early aiding and the fitting of the Baha system with her son’s success.  “The quality is unbeatable,” she says.

Shannon also notes “the safety benefits of having two Bahas, as Elijah is better able to pinpoint the location of the source of sounds such as a car horn or siren, for example.  I think that was a major consideration for our insurance company and part of the reason they offered full coverage for the procedure.” 

As for the taping of the Montel show, when Montel asked Elijah if he liked his new prosthetic ears (crafted by anaplastologist Bob Barron), Elijah gave the typical sheepish six-year-old response of “yes.”  Shannon says that if the show had focused on the Baha system in the same way as the prosthetics, Elijah would have enthusiastically given the same answer because, for half of his life, Elijah has relied on the Baha system to deliver him an excellent quality of hearing.

How can I learn more?
To receive more information about the Baha system, email info@cochlear.com or call 1.800.523.5798. 

Or locate a Baha Clinic for further evaluation