Following a cochlear implant at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Lydia Gross’s hearing improved so much that she took to the skies with a flight instructor to experience her decades-long goal of flying a plane. As her small plane soared above the skies of Nashville, the almost-100-year-old Lydia was able to hear the roar of the engines, encouraging words from her instructor and the wind whistling past the cockpit.
Lydia's surgeon was David Haynes, MD, co-director of the Cochlear Implant Program professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Hearing and Speech Sciences. Haynes was confident that Gross’ implants would be successful because of his team's rigorous preoperative testing that predicts with accuracy whether patients will hear better with cochlear implants. Don't miss the rest of Emily Stembridge's heartwarming story of Lydia's journey to better hearing health–and the realization of a lifelong dream.
Many individuals struggling with severe hearing loss don’t realize that a cochlear implant might be the answer they have been seeking. Vanderbilt's MyHearingHealth bundles program makes getting a cochlear implant easier than ever. MyHearingHealth takes an innovative approach to cochlear implants that coordinates and “bundles” all of the services needed for a successful procedure and recovery. Learn more about the program here and sign up for a consultation with a patient navigator.