Results: Speaking Up For Those Who Can't Hear

I am not really a fan of The Bachelor franchise, but one of the women on the current season is well worth taking note of. Daisy Kent received a cochlear implant last year after losing her hearing, which she believes may have been triggered by Lyme disease and, subsequently, Ménière's disease, an inner ear condition common in adults that causes poor fluid balance in the ear, tinnitus, vertigo and can destroy the cochlea, the hearing organ. Have you watched this season of The Bachelor?

The Minnesota native has documented her journey from surgery to implant activation and beyond on TikTok, where she has more than 142,000 followers and her candid conversation about her condition has inspired others experiencing hearing loss. Cochlear implants, as Kent has, are reserved for patients who struggle to hear clearly, he added, since such hearing loss cannot be mitigated by hearing aids, which "basically just turns up the sound." The implants, however, take a substantial amount of time for the brain to get used to — Kent said that, upon first activating her implant, everyone's voices were high-pitched and sounded like chipmunks. Do you know anyone who has had a cochlear implant?

Because of the stigma surrounding cochlear implants and hearing loss in general, Kent's transparency about her own journey could educate those who aren't familiar with the condition and devices. She founded a nonprofit organization called Hear Your Heart in 2020. The organization supports children "who have autoimmune disorders or hearing loss" by giving them "medical assistance, funds for future education and bringing awareness to mental health for children and families." Have you ever been diagnosed with severe hearing loss, and/or wear a hearing aid?

Kent has also written a children's book titled, Daisy Doo: All The Sounds She Knew, based on her experiences and surgery. She started noticing hearing loss at the age of 15, and remembers how scared she was. For children much younger, it can even be more scary. Do you know any children who have been diagnosed with hearing loss?