Cochlear implant reintroduces woman to the joys of hearing

[Guest guest]

The Frederick News-Post, land, January 2, 2007

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Cochlear implant reintroduces woman to the joys of hearing

By Guynn

News-Post Staff

FREDERICK -- A row of plush red Elmos sit atop the piano in Portis's

living room. They are a reminder of a significant moment in her life.

Walking through a toy store around Christmas, she heard a laugh. It was a sound

she recognized from childhood, and it was a sound she heard and recognized

without any help. It was the Sesame Street character Elmo!

That's a moment Ms. Portis will not forget.

Nor will she forget the first time she heard the mature voices of her teenage

son and daughter -- no longer the high-pitched toddler voices of her memory. The

sounds of a duck quacking, the coffeemaker percolating in the kitchen and the

toilet flushing were new and fascinating. It had been so many years since Ms.

Portis had heard these sounds of daily life that they were all but gone from her

memory.

About 18 months ago, Ms. Portis, 40, received a cochlear implant. Since then,

she's gone from a world of silence and isolation to speaking nationally about

hearing loss. Ms. Portis is co-founder of the local chapter of the Hearing Loss

Association of America (HLAA) support group. Her husband, Terry Portis, is a

psychologist and executive director of the national organization, which

educates, supports and advocates for people with hearing loss.

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