Cochlear Hearing Center | Cochlear's Hear & Now Blog

Cochlear's Hear & Now Blog

Learn more about our recipients and their experiences with Cochlear.*

<img width="300" height="207" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Amelia-Author-Book-Pic-e1785182376461-300x207.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" fetchpriority="high">“Our daughter Amelia is an extraordinary 12-year-old with a love for drawing, storytelling, crafting, music, connecting with people and inspiring others. She was born in Puerto Rico, and when she was about 7 months old, we noticed she wasn&#8217;t responding to sounds the way other babies her age did. By 10 months old, she was &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-loss/children/early-intervention-bilateral-sensorineural-hearing-loss/">Continued</a>

“You are never too young to dream big!” Amelia’s early intervention journey with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss

<img width="300" height="287" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Hero-Image-e1785171692237-300x287.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async">How does your insurance work? Most insurance plans include a deductible and an out‑of‑pocket maximum. As you pay for care throughout the year, you move closer to meeting those amounts. Once your deductible is met, your plan may cover up to 80% of eligible costs. After you reach your out-of-pocket maximum, covered costs are often &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-solutions/services/2026-insurance-benefits/">Continued</a>

Do you know how your insurance benefits work? You May Be Closer to a Sound Processor Upgrade Than You Think in 2026

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Cochlear_Sydney_Day_2_1266_Highres-300x300.png" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async">&#160; Fully rechargeable: First fully rechargeable active bone conduction sound processor, with up to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge. †,7-9 Improved power and sound quality: Improved clarity and sound quality, enhanced by the new signal processing platform and powerful lithium-ion battery. Now with fitting range up to 65 dB HL bone &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-solutions/bone-conduction/cochlear-osia-3-sound-processor/">Continued</a>

Cochlear introduces the new Osia 3 Sound Processor

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/CI-sunflower1-300x300.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy">“I received a diagnosis of progressive bilateral hearing loss two decades ago. The deafness had likely been around a long time. It was the second time in my life I’d met with an audiologist. The first time was when the audiologist told me as a kid to pay attention. I was six years old. The &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-solutions/cochlear-implants/progressive-hearing-loss-cochlear-implant/">Continued</a>

“I Didn’t Know I Was Deaf Until I Discovered Better Hearing:” Shanna’s progressive hearing loss story

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_8651-scaled-e1780429356777-300x300.jpeg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy">“I became a stage manager after ten years of performing in motion pictures, television and musical theatre. Part of my duties involved calling show cues for a two-hour performance ten times a week. This continued for over six years. During the 1970s, technology was limited in noise reduction for the headsets I wore.&#160;Often, I experienced &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-solutions/cochlear-implants/cochlear-implant-helps-career/">Continued</a>

From stage to sound: how Gene resumed his life and career in theatre after receiving a cochlear implant

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IMG_8554-scaled-e1780349692239-300x300.jpeg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy">“Like many, our journey with microtia/atresia started in a very vulnerable place – the delivery room. Exhausted, eager, and full of emotion, we were told that our 2-minute old, 5-pound 9-ounce daughter, Brooke, was missing a right ear. There in the delivery room, the full meaning of having a daughter with an underdeveloped right ear &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-loss/children/hearing-journey-microtia-atresia/">Continued</a>

Finding hope through Baha Start: Our daughter’s hearing journey with microtia and atresia

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/1000009877-scaled-e1779221160949-300x300.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy">“Lawson was born with severe to profound hearing loss in both ears, he failed his newborn hearing test at the hospital, and his diagnosis was confirmed at his Auditory Brainstem Response test (ABR) when he was 5 weeks old. We have no known family history of hearing loss, which feels silly saying now knowing he &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-loss/children/toddler-cochlear-implant-asl/">Continued</a>

Toddler born with hearing loss is now thriving with cochlear implant and ASL

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Broc-HOY-2-300x300.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy">Broc, a bilateral Cochlear® Nucleus® Implant recipient, has been praised for his authenticity and openness. He speaks honestly about the positive impact cochlear implants have had on his life and expresses deep gratitude for the technology that helped shape his future. That authenticity resonates with families facing life‑changing decisions. For Broc, volunteering has never been &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/cochlear/community/2025-hear-o-year/">Continued</a>

Celebrating our 2025 Hear-o of the Year: Broc’s passion for advocacy, community and connection

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/20250405_001916-300x300.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy">“My name is Daniel, a Filipino- American and I am a bilateral Baha System recipient currently using the Baha 6 Sound Processor. My history with Cochlear technology spans back to 2008 with the Baha Divino Sound Processor, BP100 Sound Processor and most recently the Baha 5 Sound Processor. I have consistently been impressed with the &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-loss/conductive/baha-system-journey/">Continued</a>

From thesis defense to teaching: Daniel’s Baha System journey

<img width="300" height="300" src="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Image-77-scaled-e1775593838613-300x300.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin-bottom: 5px; clear:both;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="" decoding="async" loading="lazy">“Most people take sound for granted. We didn’t—because for our son Anthony, he was born with normal hearing. During a later medical issue, and clinical work up, we discovered an incidental finding of bilateral enlarged vestibular aqueduct, or EVA – a rare cause of progressive hearing loss requiring audiology and ear, nose and throat follow &#8230; <a href="https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing-loss/children/single-sided-deafness-therapy/">Continued</a>

How a cochlear implant and auditory verbal therapy helped Anthony dream of the big leagues even with single-sided deafness

*The stories above are shared by our recipients nationwide and not exclusive to that of a Cochlear Hearing Center recipient.