Will he be allowed to drive? Will anyone love him? Will he ever get married?
My Child’s Cochlear Implant Success Story
Monday, July 15, 2024
The Future is Bright
It was on January 15, 2008 that my life changed forever. I was a 22-year-old mother to an 18-month-old baby boy. Although there had been signs long before that something might be wrong, I had been ignoring them because I was afraid of what may be the outcome. My mom, who has always worked with children, on the other hand, saw concerns that I did not want to see. For example, she noticed that Ivan was no longer making eye contact when someone was speaking. He was also ignoring loud noises, and not responding when we called out his name.
So, it was on that day, when we finally saw an audiologist for a hearing test, that I learned that my only son, Ivan Valentino Lopez, was profoundly deaf and would never hear or learn to speak on his own. I was handed an American Sign Language book and was asked to leave the room because the audiologist needed to attend to the next patient.
I remember walking away feeling paralyzed. I didn’t know how to move or react. It’s almost as if I was numb and could not speak. My parents were with me, and on the whole way home all we did was cry. It was a feeling of sorrow, almost as if something in me died. I could not accept the news because Ivan passed his newborn hearing screening at birth. The more I tried to understand it, the more confused and lost I became.
That whole day was a complete blur for me. I remember giving Ivan a bath. I remember lots of family members coming to my parents’ home, where Ivan and I lived at that time, to give us support and hope. But at the time, I felt completely hopeless. I didn’t know what to do. I remember handing Ivan over to my parents and locking myself in my room for hours. I started to research what the word, “deaf” meant. I had so many questions. Can deaf people be successful? Will Ivan attend school? How will I communicate with him? Will he be allowed to drive? Will anyone love him? Will he ever get married?
A sense of hope
I recall seeing a cochlear implant on the internet for the very first time and instantly felt a sense of hope. I knew then that I needed to find out how Ivan could be eligible for a cochlear implant. At the time, I was a student attending community college. I realized that I needed to find a job that would give me and my son healthcare benefits so that he could get a cochlear implant. I was soon hired to work for Stockton Unified School District, and Ivan started to receive Early Start Services.
The state of California is separated into different school districts and they each have different educational programs. For example, children are serviced by Early Start Services through the age of three. At that time, Ivan was almost three, and for about five months, he was able to receive in-home educational services. These services included having a speech and language pathologist come to our home with a deaf and hard of hearing teacher to teach me and my family sign language twice a week. She would give us different signs to study and was always very caring. In fact, it was because of her that we knew about cochlear implants, and also because of her that we become stronger and more confident about Ivan and our family’s future.
Soon after, we were referred to Oakland Children’s Hospital. That was when our lives changed forever. We met the most amazing people who, to this day, are people we can count on and have always been there for me and Ivan.
Ivan’s hearing was officially tested in early 2008 and he was diagnosed with bilateral, profound sensorineural hearing loss. He became a cochlear implant candidate, and soon was able to have his first implant surgery date scheduled for June 2008, and the second surgery in July 2008.
Just one day after his cochlear activation date, Ivan started to attend the only auditory oral school for children in Northern California, Children’s Choice for Hearing and Talking (CCHAT) at Sacramento. So, every day for five years, we drove Ivan 110 miles roundtrip to and from the school. Because of the CCHAT educators, speech and language pathologist and staff, and our commitment to Ivan, he thrived.
Unstoppable
He attended CCHAT until he was mainstreamed into a general education classroom in third grade. He played years of basketball for Catholic Youth Association and two years for his current high school. Every summer since he was 12, he traveled across the country with his father in his semi-truck, so he’s been to almost every state across the country. During the fall of 2023, and as a senior in high school, Ivan wanted to work part time and started applying to multiple places in our city. The day Ivan went to church to have his car blessed, he was hired to work as a Sacristan at St. Luke’s Catholic Church.
As any parent, I often worried about how Ivan would be viewed by other children his age. I worried how Ivan would view himself or how hearing children would view him. But to my surprise, Ivan was very social and had many friends. He has made friends who have been with him and supported him for many years.
He was able to reconnect with a girl from a different city who went to CCHAT just like him. They were friends since they were five years old. But due to distance, they lost contact. He messaged her on Instagram, and they spoke frequently for about five months. Finally, Ivan got the courage to ask her to be his date to his school’s winter formal dance. She accepted, and since then, they have been seeing each other almost every weekend, and they talk every day.
At 15, Ivan wanted to learn to drive. So, he attended driver’s education classes and got his learner’s driving permit on the first try. Six months later, at 16, he took his behind-the-wheel driving test, and again, passed on the first try. With the money he earned by working for his dad, Ivan bought his first car in cash at the age of 17.
Ivan grew up only attending public schools. Through distance learning, countless IEPs, accommodations and services, Ivan ranks at the top 15% of his senior class of 2024. In December 2023, Ivan received his first college acceptance letter to California State University (CSU) East Bay. I remember crying tears of happiness and feeling so very proud of him. Soon after, more acceptance letters from different universities arrived. With so many good choices, Ivan committed to attend CSU Sacramento State starting Fall, 2024, for a degree in criminal justice.
Ivan has always believed in himself. He takes acts of faith and doesn’t question his ability.
Don’t give up
Within these 17 years of Ivan’s life, he has given so many people the gift of happiness, strength, and patience. Ivan has always believed in himself. He takes acts of faith and doesn’t question his ability. I am so grateful that Ivan continues to grow as an individual and continues to be relentless as well as grounded. I thank God for his self-confidence and courage.
He has given me and my family the ability to believe and trust in him and ourselves. Me as his mother, his step-dad, his little brother, grandparents, cousins, and father are so very proud of him and all of his accomplishments. We are looking forward to seeing all the good Ivan will continue to do.
Ivan’s story is meaningful, and I hope it can be inspiring to not just other deaf children, but to parents as well. Just like Ivan, your child can have the ability for a different life and dive into the hearing world made possible by Advanced Bionics. May Ivan’s journey motivate you to embrace possibilities of blessings and greatness.
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