Why You Do What You Do: Kids React to Cochlear Implant Activation
It can sometimes seem like the medical device business wasn't the best career choice. It's an industry rife with lawsuits. Medical device designers must continually walk the line between the products they want to make and the products that can achieve 510(k) clearance or premarket approval. On top of all that, the government is trying to take 2.3% off the top of your sales.It's enough to make you wonder why you started in this industry in the first place.
June 5, 2012
The next time you need a reminder, search "cochlear implant activation" on YouTube. What you'll find are videos like this one, of 2-year-old Cooper hearing his mother's voice for the first time:
That video recently went viral, which is how I came across it. An update posted on the page says Cooper, now nearly 3, can speak and recognize sounds just eight months after activation of his implant. Simply amazing.
If you want more, check out these videos of other kids reacting to their cochlear implants being turned on—just be sure you have a box of tissues nearby.
—Jamie Hartford is the associate editor of MD+DI. Follow her on Twitter @readMED.
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