Taylor Hughes, cochlear implants
Fayetteville, 8 years old
When Taylor was 4, he was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural mild-to-moderate sloping hearing loss, a long way of saying that he had some hearing loss in both ears.
Taylor’s condition remained the same until he was 6 and he was diagnosed with profound steeply sloping bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, which would result in complete deafness.
His family began looking into cochlear implants, small electronic devices that help provide a sense of sound to someone who is profoundly deaf or severely hard-of-hearing.
Taylor’s first cochlear implant surgery was July 21, 2011, at ACH and the implant was activated a few weeks later. The surgery was a success and doctors at ACH performed his second cochlear implant that November.
“Because of the implants, Taylor continues to close the learning gap that he once struggled with,” says his mother, Crystal Brasiola.
Taylor, now 8, continues to receive speech therapy at ACH as well as close monitoring of his implants.
The implants are mapped for stabilization every three months to ensure he is benefiting from the equipment.
“The doctors, nurses and staff in general treat you like family,” Crystal says. “They are honest and so caring. I truly felt at peace after my first meeting with Dr. Julia Webb and Dr. John Dornhoffer.”
Taylor enjoys playing baseball, football and basketball, deer hunting, swimming and riding his bicycle. He hopes to one day play football for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
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