ABBIE'S ACTIVATION VIDEO: EXCELLENT AUDIOLOGIST!

ABBIE BLOGS...

...I am grateful that I finally accepted that I am deaf, it is a part of who I am.
I am grateful for the experience of total silence; it made me a better person by turning off the music of the daily hustle and bustle of life forcing me to put things in perspective.
I am grateful for my family who supported me every step of the way especially those who were my ears when I had nothing to give back.
I am grateful for being blessed with the perfect pooch. She is my ears when I am sleeping. She never leaves my side. She accepts me as I am and leaves all my hardware alone.
I am grateful for my friends who were always concerned but never once pitying me and always willing to help me.
I am grateful for the people I have met who are just like me. They opened my eyes making me realizing that I am not the only one walking this earth without hearing the crunch of the grass give way underneath my feet.
I am grateful that I have a awesome audiologist who listens to me.
I am grateful for everything that I have seen, touched, smelted, tasted and heard for it serves a higher purpose.
I am grateful for the men, women, and children that walk in and out my life opening doors to new things.
Most of all, I am just plain grateful for being chosen for this opportunity to wade through life being me...


HOW BEAUTIFUL IS ABBIE!?!! (BTW, a full set (of acrylics) in Grosseto costs minimum 90 euros - crazy!) Aside from this, the audiologist on - but not seen in- this video taught me a great deal about mapping and mapping strategies. She shot specific question after question at Abbie allowing for some fine tuning of Abbie's map. It's almost ten here, but as soon as I have a minute, I plan on writing a list of questions asked by the audiologist as well as her explanation of the three mapping modes - that I never knew existed...I did not know that for small children the surgeon could perform an ABR during surgery to test the cochlear implant and predict a map based on nerve responses...AMAZING! Although now that I'm thinking about it, I vaguely remember the surgeon telling me they tested the implant while Jordan was under and that it worked...but I did not realize that an ABR performed during the surgery could create a map! Not all audiologists are created equally, hats off to Abbie's and thanks to Abbie for allowing me to post this. (Abbie is a member of the yahoo support group CI HEAR)

-------------------------------MORE JOSH SWILLER--------------------
SHARON PAJKA-WEST PHD. THE AUTHOR OF THE BLOG: DEAF CHARACTERS IN ADOLESCENT LITERATURE (LIVE FOR HER INTERVIEWS!) JUST BLOGGED ABOUT JOSH SWILLER'S APPEARANCE AT GALLAUDET YESTERDAY...CHECK IT OUT! (I'M SUCH A FAN!)