Activation Day is Tomorrow!

Ben is going to be activated tomorrow morning!  The three weeks since the CI surgery have gone by so fast - I can't believe we are at this day.   It was exactly nine months ago that we found out Ben was deaf.  It felt like the whole world turned gray and out of focus that day.  My baby hadn't heard a thing I had said to him for the last 6 weeks and probably never would!  As the sister of two siblings with special needs, I knew that there were many more serious things that could happen, but I had never known the pain of learning that your child has a disability.  I worried about many things during my pregnancies, but the thought of having a child born deaf was never one of them.  Nathan and I were both shocked and scared and confused that day.  As I fumbled around trying to come to terms with Ben's diagnosis, I felt helpless and lost.  I prayed for the wisdom and strength to give Ben the best treatment possible, while at the same time being present, loving, happy and strong for my four older children.  I researched deafness for the next few days, ordering books and visiting web sites.  That is when I learned about the cochlear implant and what it can do for young children who are born deaf.  There was our plan for Ben - he could learn to listen and speak with this device and lots of therapy.  Now we just needed to make it happen.

Nine months later, we are on the eve of activation.  We have realized our dream for Ben of simultaneous bilateral implantation at 9 months of age.  But the hard work has just begun.  Now we must help Ben to interpret the sounds he will hear and translate them into language he can understand.  We are incredibly excited and nervous about tomorrow.  I don't know what Ben's reaction will be - we have heard that children's reactions range from no response, to head turns and smiles, to crying when they hear sound for the first time.  Whatever happens, I am sure I will have tears in my eyes, since witnessing my deaf son hear for the first time will be one of the most poignant moments of my life.