{"id":653123,"date":"2026-05-07T05:53:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:53:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/653123\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T05:53:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T05:53:20","slug":"cochlear-implants-have-lifted-our-familys-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/653123\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Cochlear implants have lifted our family’s lives’"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Toby Carver was young, his family’s efforts to find a way for him to receive a then-revolutionary cochlear implant were “a struggle”.<\/p>\n

He said he had the device fitted at Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre in 1997, when he was three-and-a-half, which made “an enormous difference” after years of struggle.<\/p>\n

His sister also underwent the same treatment three years after him, and he met his wife Lucy at a cochlear implant conference.<\/p>\n

After his 10-month-old son Jasper had his own implant in February, he said his Nottingham-based family cannot imagine leading a full life without the breakthrough medical aid.<\/p>\n

‘Enormous difference’<\/p>\n

Cochlear implants send signals directly to the nerves used for hearing, with an implant placed under the skin and a headpiece on the outside of the head.<\/p>\n

The first cochlear implant was fitted to a patient by an Australian doctor<\/a> in 1978.<\/p>\n

Toby said it was a struggle in the early days for him to get a cochlear implant.<\/p>\n

“The criteria were different then, and it was only through last-minute research that I was able to have the operation,” he added.<\/p>\n

Fortunately for Toby, he was able to have the implant fitted, which helped him develop spoken language skills crucial in his career as a chartered engineer.<\/p>\n

He said further advances in the technology have added to the benefits the implants provide.<\/p>\n

“Having the implant has made an enormous difference to my life,” he said.<\/p>\n

“My parents were told when I was born, that I was going to have to sign – there was no other option, I was never going to be able to hear.<\/p>\n

“To be able to have the support of my parents, to go through the cochlear implant process at the time, was instrumental really. It’s enabled me to live a full life [and] have the career that I’ve got, and that would have been impossible without the support.”<\/p>\n

\"Jasper<\/p>\n

Jasper Carver had his implant fitted in February [NUH]<\/p>\n

Since Jasper received his implant, he is already getting used to living in a world with sound.<\/p>\n

Lucy said the decision “felt a lot easier” to make as both she and Toby had lived with the benefits of the devices.<\/p>\n

“We know where life can go, but other parents haven’t got that opportunity to see, because they’ve never met anyone with a cochlear implant,” she said.<\/p>\n

“We’re very lucky and fortunate to be where we are.”<\/p>\n

Listen to BBC Radio Nottingham on Sounds<\/a> and follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook<\/a>, on X<\/a>, or on Instagram<\/a>. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk<\/a> or via WhatsApp<\/a> on 0808 100 2210.<\/p>\n

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