"I can only recommend that you regularly exchange ideas with like-minded people, because you always learn something new."

My name is Christiane and I live with my family in Altheim, Upper Austria. I am the mother of Luisa and Elias. Both are fitted with cochlear implants on both sides. Luisa was born in 2011 and Elias in 2015. Luisa's newborn hearing screening was abnormal and we had to repeat it several times until we were finally diagnosed with a hearing loss bordering on deafness. That was a big shock for us at first. She was fitted with hearing aids until she was implanted at 14 months. Luisa is a very bright girl who loves playing the piano and horses more than anything else.

Elias' newborn hearing screening was abnormal and we received the same diagnosis. As we knew that normal life was possible with implants and we already had experience with them, the diagnosis was no longer so bad. Early musical education was also important to us for Elias. We received support from the Institute for Sensory and Speech Neurology right from the start and both children received speech therapy from the very beginning.

I think you need a lot of patience as a parent. But if you always support your children, it's a real pleasure to watch their progress. The contact with other families who are or have been in a similar situation has also helped us immensely. The exchange of experiences is very good and you go through life stronger.