Michela is a vibrant 4.5 year old.  She has not had an easy 4.5 years of life so far.  Born in June, 2003, Michela was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in both ears.  After multiple MRIs and CT scans, it was determined that Michela had severe inner ear malformations of the Cochlea in both ears.  In her left ear, she has what they call a common cavity cochlea, also known as Michel's aplaysia.  In her right ear, she has a completely ossified cochlea, this is basically a solid bone mass of the cochlea. 

As time went on and more testing took place, Michela qualified for a cochlear implant.  A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. The cochlear implant is often referred to as a bionic ear. Unlike hearing aids, the cochlear implant does not amplify sound, but works by directly stimulating any functioning auditory nerves inside the cochlea with electrical impulses. External components of the cochlear implant include a microphone, speech processor and transmitter which also provides an individual to adjust the sound for quality and amplification.

Michela received her cochlear implant at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in August of 2004.  Surgery went fine and left the doctors wondering because they had never seen an inner ear as malformed as Michela's.  She was activated in October 2004.  Going into activation, we didn't know what to expect as far as how Michela would feel with these new sounds coming to her through the cochlear implant.  It took her a few weeks to realize that things were happening around her that she was not able to experience before. 

In the months to come, Michela made great strides with using her cochlear implant as well as developing speech.  Multiple hours a week of Auditory Verbal therapy as well as speech therapy have been successful.  In June of 2005, Michela contracted bacterial meningitis through a cerebral spinal fluid leak in her left ear.  She spent two weeks in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, being treated and monitored.  On her second birthday, June 30, 2005, Michela had a minor stroke that left her partially paralyzed on the right side.  Even after all of this, Michela proved to us, that she is one strong little girl.  She came out of the meningitis and stroke scare with very little set-back.  She received several weeks of Occupational Therapy through the Berks County Intermediate Unit and in no time, she was back to where she was prior to becoming ill.

Two more years go by, and Michela is still progressing nicely with her hearing and speech development.  In late April, 2007, Michela's Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implant device experienced an internal failure.  The device implanted in her cochlear, stopped working.  Frantic as parents, we were on the phone with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia scheduling appointments to confirm our worst fears that the device failed.  She went in for surgery in the beginning of May and the device was activated one week later.  Two weeks without hearing proved to be slightly challenging, but as parents of a deaf child, everything is a slight challenge.  Michela came home from surgery, it was another huge success.  During Michela's recovery at home, she started to show the same signs as in June 2005 when she contracted bacterial meningitis, although this time, there was no messing around.  We rushed her down to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia emergency room.  She was admitted, and white blood count tests showed that she in fact did have bacterial meningitis again.  We caught this infection early enough, that she was in the hospital for just a few days and then sent home to receive her antibiotics at home.  Now, almost 7 months later, Michela is showing no signs of illness and with her new cochlear implant (improved technology since her first one) is helping her make even greater strides with speech and conversation building skills.
We are currently working towards Kindergarten readiness in the next few months.  Michela is a patient learner and welcomes correction to speech or grammar.

For a person to be only 4.5 and have gone through so much, she is my hero, my inspiration to know that even the hardest of times can be conquered.