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Cochlear celebrates landmark anniversaries
Things were very different in 1977; the Queen was celebrating her silver jubilee, disco fever was in the air, Star Wars exploded onto our cinema screens and a British woman won Wimbledon. However, if you were deaf in 1970s, there were not many options available to you. 60-year-old Barry from Guernsey recalls wearing special glasses with a bone conductor arm that were tight and painful. 60-year-old Iris, a housewife from Anglesey, resigned herself to a life of silence after her hearing aids caused a serious infection, and 70-year-old Gerry was demoted at work when he could no longer keep up with what his colleagues were saying. Life for these individuals and many others changed dramatically with the development of the bone conduction hearing implant (Baha®) in 1977 and the first Nucleus® cochlear implant in 1982. To celebrate 25 years of Nucleus cochlear implants and 30 years of Baha hearing implants, manufacturer Cochlear UK hosted a celebration day for over 600 people (Nucleus and Baha users and their families) on Saturday 6th October in Warwickshire's 'Heart of England' centre. As well as celebrating Cochlear's special anniversary year, the event was also arranged to congratulate the staff and patients from the University Hospital Birmingham, which recently performed its 1000th Baha operation. From assault courses and climbing walls to archery and quad bikes, there were activities galore for all the family, as well as information, product updates and workshops to help implant users get the most out of life. Gerry Leeper, who received his cochlear implant in 2004, said: "I don't remember enjoying myself so much with a group of people for such a very long time!" Speakers covered topics such as Radio Aids and implants, making the most of hearing implants in the workplace and preparing for school with an implant. Plus there were music appreciation workshops with the London Symphony Orchestra. Visitors were able to see all the new products that have been introduced in the last 12 months and to meet the experts behind them, such as Cochlear Chief Scientist Jim Patrick, who flew over from Australia especially for the event. In his welcome address Jim reminisced about the early development of cochlear implants in Sydney and said he was delighted with the company's progress over the last three decades. Miss America 1995, Heather Whitestone McCallum, who was the first deaf Miss America to hold the title and received a Nucleus cochlear implant in August 2002, was also among the guests of honour. Other celebrities who gave messages of support include soul singer Joss Stone, who said: "I more than value my hearing, I couldn't live without it", and popular R&B singer Lemar, who wished everyone at the celebrations a wonderful day: "I sincerely hope all the recipients and delegates have an amazing time". www.cochlear.co.uk
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