Hmm. Your child is born deaf and you are hearing. You try to learn sign and you realize that it feels unnatural. Your friend starts telling you about this amazing deaf child who can speak, sing, play the guitar, etc. thanks to this amazing operation and a device called the cochlear implant. You find out that your child is not a candidate for the cochlear implant because of inner ear malformations. You hear about an incredible new operation called an
Auditory Brainstem Implant. This will allow your child to hear and eventually speak, despite the malformations. And what do ya know...they perform the surgery right here in Italy. Then, you read about this child:
After an operation to restore his hearing, Jorden Flowers is ready to learn to listen JORDEN FLOWERS was born without auditory nerves and ear canals. An auditory brainstem implant surgery - a procedure not approved by the FDA for children his age - has allowed him to hear and speak. But now he must learn to use what he has gained.
By ASHLEY BELAND, The Times-Union
Determination and motivation are two words 5-year-old Jorden Flowers can't say.
And he's shown his family, friends and teachers at Clarke Jacksonville that their meanings don't lie in the sounds you speak.
Jorden, son of Olympic gold medalist Vonetta Flowers and Johnny Flowers, was born without auditory nerves and ear canals. His twin brother, Jaden, was born healthy, despite the pair being born at 30 weeks.
"We didn't even know [Jorden] was alive after the doctors came in," Johnny Flowers said. "They started talking about the complications with premature births. They painted a really dark picture of his future."
But the 2-pound, 9-ounce Jorden pulled through.
That was the first sign of the determination that has become synonymous with the youngster's character. Many other signs would follow, as Jorden became what doctors say is the first American child to undergo an auditory brainstem implant that allows him to hear.
The family began researching Jorden's condition and treatments for his disability. Vonetta Flowers said they immediately started to learn sign language so they could teach Jorden to communicate.
"His first sign was 'milk,'" Vonetta said. "It was funny because he'd do the sign in the middle of the night like he expected you to be watching."
While many babies were watching Teletubbies or Sesame Street, Jorden was watching tapes designed to teach babies to sign.
After a couple of years of research and referrals from other doctors, the Flowerses learned of an auditory brainstem implant that enables people without auditory nerves to hear. There was one catch: The surgery isn't approved by the Food and Drug Administration for children under 12.
The couple was undeterred and contacted Vittorio Colletti, an Italian doctor specializing in auditory brainstem implant surgeries. Colletti was the only doctor performing the surgeries on children as young as Jorden.
The surgery was costly, but Colletti waived his fees and Allianz insurance company donated more than $60,000, Johnny Flowers said. In December 2005, the family was at a Verona, Italy, hospital for Jorden's surgery.
"We spent Christmas in the hospital that year," Vonetta Flowers said. "We were very grateful because usually Christmas is about presents, and we saw Jorden's surgery as the greatest present of all."
Jorden's brain had to heal before the implant could be turned on. He heard his first sounds on Jan. 23, 2006.
While the implant allowed him to hear, it didn't teach him how to hear. That's when Clarke Jacksonville stepped in.
After a trial summer program with the school, the family moved to Jacksonville from Birmingham, Ala.
Clarke Jacksonville is one of only 53 schools in the country that focus not on sign language or lip reading but on teaching the deaf to listen, Allen said.
Since Jorden began classes in the fall, his family and teachers said, they have seen a dramatic improvement in his auditory capabilities.
"Before coming here Jorden didn't really talk, but there's been such a change," Vonetta Flowers said. "It's been very emotional, and we're constantly reassured of our decision to come here."
Jorden also has increased his vocabulary and become more engaged in the classroom, his teacher, Lynn Stoner, said. Stoner has 10 years of experience at Clarke Jacksonville, but she still marvels at the motivation she sees in Jorden.
"I think his determination, his motivation, his willingness to learn is amazing," Stoner said. "He just never gives up."
Most of the couple's friends and family say the trait runs in the family. Vonetta Flowers was the first African-American to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics.
She used that same determination she sees in her son while training for bobsledding. Vonetta Flowers has retired from the sport to spend time with her children and family.
Despite the difficult journey from Jorden's birth to his start at Clarke Jacksonville, his parents don't regret their choices.
"[Jorden's] first language was sign language, so he could always sign 'I love you,'" Vonetta Flowers said. "... But hearing him say 'I love you' - those are the sweetest words a parent can hear, especially since I never thought I would hear them."
What would you do?
A parent has the right to choose.
