My name is Eva, I live in Vienna and my son Florim is fitted with cochlear implants both sides. Florim has multiple impairments. His doctor described him as a child as being like a house with no windows. We were able to open a window for him with the implants. At his first fitting, he laughed and immediately made eye contact – we noticed a change in him immediately. He also accepted his CIs immediately, unlike his hearing aids which we had previously tried.
Florim enjoys his "ears": He likes to listen to music, rhythym instruments, aircraft noises, trains. He also takes responsibility for the devices, for example, when the battery needs to be changed.

My advice for affected persons is to practise hard, keep a folder of experiences and keep checking to optimize the settings. Children with multiple impairments especially often can't express themselves and tell you whether the setting is right. So I recommend adjustment via a stapedius reflex measurement. Sharing experiences with other affected persons is also very helpful and you can gain strength from it.