Jaki Scheckter

Just one year after receiving a cochlear implant, Jaki Scheckter shifts into high gear and revs up. Hailing from a famous family of world championship Formula One race car drivers, Jaki Scheckter, 32, was born with sensorineural hearing loss. Today, the South Africa-born computer consultant who currently lives in Florida is able to hear well thanks to the pair of HiResolution Bionic Ear cochlear implants he received in late 2005. Jaki talks about his life and describes some of the many things he can do as a citizen of the world of sound.“I’ve always been an active and competitive person. I guess I get that from my dad and uncle [Ian and Jody Scheckter], who were the best and fastest speedway racers on the planet back in the 1970s and 1980s.

“As a kid, I was very much into motocross and minicross bike racing, then later got into open-wheel racing. I’d won quite a few trophies by the time I graduated from high school. But in 1997, I was forced to quit racing. That was due to, among other things, bouts of dizziness and complications related to my hearing disorder.

“When I found out about cochlear implants, I was extremely excited. I felt that being implanted would help take me to the next level in my life. I wanted to be able to talk on the phone. I wanted to be able to communicate better in business meetings. I wanted to have more confidence in my interactions with people I knew and with people I didn’t. I chose to have the implants put in each ear so that I could have the best possible hearing ability.   

“Today, I love listening to the music of my favorite rock band, U2. I’ve got all kinds of tunes loaded onto my iPod, which I listen to using just the standard ear pieces that came with the digital player. When I travel, though, I use noise-cancelling headphones, which work great.

“Listening to recorded sound played through standard speakers or 5.1 Dolby systems is great too, especially in surround sound while watching an action movie at home—I can hear the elements of the soundtrack that play out of the speakers in front of me, off to the sides and behind me. It’s awesome!

“Actually, it’s pretty awesome anywhere I go. If I’m in a noisy restaurant, a nightclub, or at the raceway, I have no trouble hearing people talk to me. I never thought this would be possible for me.”

(Interview by Rich Smith)