| Cierra and Kelcie |
| We are typical girls. We really enjoy shopping and talking on the phone. Some other things we like to do are: msn'ing, facebook, listening and dancing to music, playing with our dog (Sadie), rollerblading, playing basketball, volleyball, and softball, swimming, reading, and Girl Scouts. |
| We were born with a hearing loss called Auditory Neuropathy. Now we are able to hear because of wonderful people at Cochlear Corporation, who make our cochlear implants, the Nucleus 24! We hear everything! It is awesome! We LOVE our cochlear implants! |
| Cierra -13 yrs. old |
| Kelcie- 10 yrs. old |
| 1/25/07 Well, another year has gone by. Cierra has had her CI for 7 years now!! She is in 6th grade, doing excellent! She just made the A honor roll last quarter. She has been extremely busy with basketball. Her team has had a winning season and they have brought home 4 -1st place wins, and 2 - 2nd place wins in tournaments so far! She is definately a basketball nut! She is playing the drums in school band this year. She really enjoys it! She has added listening to MP3 player to her "favorite thing to do" list. Kelcie has now had her CI for 6 1/2 years now! She is in 3rd grade and is always learning something! She is an avid reader. She can sink her nose in a book and stay there! She is keeping busy with girl scouts! She is selling cookies now, so she is always looking for someone new to go and try to sell to! She loves doing the activities to earn more badges! She is also looking forward to going tubing and a sleepover with the Girl Scout troop! I, on the other hand, am looking forward to Summer, so I can spend all day with them!! We had a great Summer last year, traveling through 12 different states and spending a week in Orlando! It was a great adventure! As for the girls hearing.....they still are! HA! I just had an encounter (with 2 girls in high school) which reminded me how I so easily take their hearing for granted! When life is just "day in and day out normal", I sometimes forget the miracle behind their hearing! I am so very thankful for it! I was talking to a Senior girl (my neighbor) and a foreign exchange student from Brazil, whom had no English before coming to school here. I told them that it reminds me of the girls when they got their CI's. They heard all of the "noise", but had no clue what it meant. However, through "narrating life" day in and day out, they started to comprehend all of the" noise"and were able to communicate just as I and every other person speaking English does!! When the Senior girl (our neighbor of 2 1/2 years) heard me say the girls were deaf, she was shocked. She had no idea! She has been around them many times, but she had no clue! Now, that is AMAZING! And again, it reminded me how the CI allows the girls to blend in and be so "normal". So, it was a great time and opportunity to raise awareness, which we all should do at any moment we are allowed! There are thousands, if not millions, of people people who would be able to benefit from the miracle of the CI!! If only they knew! Hopefully some day they will have that opportunity, if they would like! I am just so thankful to God that we did!! Sincerely, Misty (Hauf) Furness 6/26/06 Well, here is an update on the girls, as it has been 4 years since I have written anything! Cierra just finished 5th grade (A & B student) and Kelcie just finished 2nd grade (S+ & S student). Spelling is one of the girls' best subjects. They were busy throughout the year with gymnastics, basketball, softball, swimming lessons, and going to numerous basketball games and track meets that their stepdad coaches. We are going back to Mayo Clinic next week for their mappings, as it has been 2 years since their last one! We have been blessed, as the girls have never had problems with their CI's. I can't believe they haven't had a mapping for 2 years, and hear as well as they do! It will be interesting to see if things change very much next week! Cierra has not been on an IEP since her 2nd grade year. She was on an accomadation 504 plan for her 3rd grade year, and has not been utilizing anything (IEP or 504 plan) since the start of her 4th grade year. Kelcie has not utilized anything except for her 1st grade year, she was on an IEP for her /l/ sounds, but that year passed, and again, she is free of any IEP or 504 plan. It is so easy to take things for granted now, as we truly live our lives as any other family. I have to keep reminding myself that we can't take the cochlear implant for granted, as it is such a miraculous device, and without it, my girls would not be where they are today....without a doubt in my mind. You know, I look back at the time that I was agonizing whether to implant Cierra or not......and if only I could have seen into the future! It was THE #1 decision I have ever made....to get Cierra and Kelcie implanted....and it was the absolute best thing we could have ever done! I am forever grateful for it...that God gave me the courage, and that Cochlear Corporation has the gift, knowledge, and technology to make such miracles happen....every single day of our lives!! Cierra is becoming quite the basketball lover, and it definately helps that her stepdad, Geof, is a basketball coach. Kelcie is kind of experimenting in everything, whatever she feels for the moment! The girls are totally different from one another....it amazes me! Cierra is a little miss "prim and proper" and Kelcie is a down and dirty little "spitfire". They are growing into wonderful young ladies, and with such tremendous confidence, thanks in large part to their Nucleus 24 cochlear implant! Sincerely, Misty (Hauf) Furness |
| Email us at: mmfurness@ hotmail.com |
| <---- has had her CI for 8 1/2 years now! Absolutely no problems!!! ----->has had her CI for 8 years now! Absolutely no problems!! |
| 10/11/07 Here we are, Cierra is in 7th grade and Kelcie is in 4th grade. I never could have imagined them at this age! It is amazing to see them mature and grow! Kelcie just had us drag out the old VHS movies of the girls (pre-implant) and wow, it was so amazing to see! We have been so blessed! Cierra is near the end of her volleyball season, anxious for basketball to start! She loves playing ! She is still playing drums in band, and I enjoy listening to her practice at home! We have a drummer! Kelcie just had her bridging ceremony in Girl Scouts. She is no longer a brownie, but now a junior! She is moving up in the world! She enjoys all of the fun activities! She is also getting ready for the basketball season to start! She gets bored very easily! Both of the girls are A/B students...mostly A's. They both do so well! They are starting all of their fundraising projects for school/clubs! That gets them out of the house, too! It is just amazing to think it was 8 years ago that we started the whole CI process!! Never in a million years would I have ever guessed we would be where we are today! All thanks be to God! God bless, Misty (Hauf) Furness |
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