A couple of nights ago, I watching tv in the family room when I noticed a rather annoying generator like sound. You know, the rhythmic kind of tapping sound. For some reason, I was really fixated on it to a point where it was annoying!
I went outside and it got louder. I walked around the backyard trying to find the source. I got close to my neighbor’s garage which borders the backyard…it got quieter. I walked towards my next door neighbor’s property where there is a shed; still quieter. I walked towards the other side where that neighbor has a window air conditioner; nope, quieter.
I started towards my garage and it started getting louder! Ahhh….I am getting there but what is in the garage other than Steph’s car??? And surely, my yard equipment does not even come close to sounding like what I was hearing. Still no source! FRUSTRATING!
I went back in the house, upstairs….and I kind of like said to Steph…”what is that $#$#@%@$#@% generator like sounds I am hearing in the backyard??????” Steph is like “whoa Nelly…calm down!”
She went into Mike’s room, looked out the window that borders the backyard, turned around and in a rather educational lecture way, proclaimed to explain to me what I was hearing are summer crickets and they are louder in the summer especially when it’s hot.
D’uh!!!! Ah….and the wonders of my CI and what I have waited 50-something years to hear……*shaking head*
May 172010
In less than two weeks, I will be running in my first half marathon right here in Buffalo. For those of you who don’t know marathons, a half is equivalent of 13.1 miles.
My longest race was a 15K which translates to almost 9.4 miles. And, I didn’t even run the entire race. That was the Run into Buffalo 15K back in 2007. I think I walked most of the course as my shins and knees were torturing me. Chalk that one up to improper training.
For the half, Steph and I have been following the Checkers AC training program and doing long runs on the weekend. Even though she is doing the relay (6 mile leg) as a member of a females masters team, she is training along with me. We both are up to over 8 miles now mostly through the “hills” and flats of Williamsville and as far east as Clarence.
I am feeling pretty good considering it was 10 months ago when I had the heart attack (see July 2009). I am averaging an 8:40 pace which puts me a little more than the 2 hour mark. My goal is to finish under that. After all, its not the time that I am aiming for but to finish…period!
Meanwhile, a great big shout-out to fellow BEA mentor and CIer, Tina Fifer. She will be going under the knife today to become bi-lateral!
May 082010
One of the most frequently misquoted claims CI manufacturers make about their product is where do they draw the line between water RESISTANT and water PROOF. Water resistance would imply incidental exposure to water…a splash, raindrops, sweat, etc. Water proof…well, lets just say all you need to do is dunk it in water and see if it still works. MY CI manufacturer, Advanced Bionics, warranties the processor as being water resistant. But PAINT RESISTANT or PAINT PROOF?????? Read on!
I attended the Bionic Ear Association (BEA) chapter leader and mentoring training last week at the new AB corporate headquarters in Valencia, CA. This is the perfect opportunity to show my colleagues how durable their cochlear implants are…..please don’t try this at home though.
Although the t-mic eventually succumbed to the paint or water, the processor continued to work! This happened while I was doing demolishing / renovations / painting work. I went to paint roller the ceiling and bent over backwards. Even though the left ear processor sits inside the top of my ear, the weight of it all keeps it in place. So, imagine what happens when you bend over backwards. Try it!
When I showed my colleagues at the training and the employees of AB, you had to see the expression on their faces. Meanwhile, I challenge anyone with a Cochlear America or Med-El CI to do the same thing and see if it works OR, will the manufacturer replace it free of charge?
So…here is your living proof that AB makes the most durable and reliable Cochlear Implant on the market!
The Blue Heart…this is what the company that makes my cochlear implant, Advanced Bionics, awards to people who have achieved something special in the world of cochlear implants. I was honored to have the opportunity to join 16 other chapter leaders of the Bionic Ear Association (BEA) for a day of what it takes to start and run a successful BEA chapter.
The next day I joined twenty or so other CIers for a tour of the manufacturing facility and all day sessions of what it takes to be a successful mentor. This was something that I had done back in March of 2009 as part of the original class of mentors. So, I am looking at my fellow mentors (who I will decline to name to protect whatever reputation they have left) and I am like “ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz” as in its time for a nap! Actually, the tour was A LOT more entertaining and informative than the first one. I even got to see the most important department of them all – Shipping…..where believe it or not, if the Fed Ex truck has left for the day, AB will send a van out to chase after them to make sure a shipment gets same day treatment the customer service folks promised.
Towards the end of the day, Patti T. finally gets to address the crowd that before we break for an hour of rest before dinner, a couple of the AB chicks including my manager, Katie, get a chance to say a few kind things about some of us. About 20 seconds into her speech, I knew she was talking about me. Trust me…”no” is a word that is NOT in my vocabulary. And finally, she announced that I was the recipient of the Blue Heart. I was literally “speechless”. I did not expect it.
I really wished I had the time to compose myself and say a few words but when I finally came to and thought about it, we were already well into the desserts at the dinner that followed. If I had the opportunity to do it over again, there is one person that comes to mine….Kim B.
Kim was my mentor from day one. She is the prototype cheerleader…the one who is so loyal and dedicated to AB. The one who was part of the original group that started Hearing Journey. The one who gets so little credit for all of the giant steps she has taken for others. The one whose heart is so big there is plenty of room to absorb every other heart that she has encountered in life. If it wasn’t for her, this day would not have been possible. My lifetime commitment and partnership with the finest cochlear implant company in the world would not have been possible if not for Kim…and her husband, Mike. Thank you Kim….words alone cannot describe how I feel but if the picture above is worth a thousand words, your friendship is worth an infinite amount.
I also want to thank the ABers that epitomize the dream that Al Mann set out to accomplish…..Patti, Katie, Beth Ann, Carly, Edie, Christy, Jen and the hostess of the mostest…Linda! To all of those chapter leaders, mentors and AB/BEA kahunas. this was a very special day that I will forever cherish and am glad you were there to celebrate it. To two very special angels…one who was there, one who wasn’t….thank you for all of your support and love.
And lastly, to my wife of 30 something years who put up with my “silence on purpose”, there is no greater meaning in life than that of one with you.
Jan 302010
Many of you know that I wear cochlear implants and I am also a mentor for the Bionic Ear Association (BEA). My role and responsibilities are to help others navigate the world of cochlear implants from choosing them to living with them. We are currently in the process of forming social gatherings around the country. Below is the one for my geographical area…
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Dec 242009
This holiday season happens to be a very special one. In some respects, I don’t want to nor do I deserve to celebrate it. It is because of those fateful days, June 29th, 30th and July 1st that makes me think the way I am. After all, isn’t it suppose to be a time where friends and family get together to celebrate the Twelve Days of Christmas, the Festival of Lights or Kwanzaa and, share in the celebration?
As I look back at thirty some odd years, however long I have known Steph, I come to realize that this holiday season is very different from the others.
The pile of presents under the tree is like we haven’t finished wrapping all of the presents. That is partially due to the fact that I am among the masses of unemployed, a victim of the current recession and downturn of the economy. I remember years ago, perhaps as far back as the 80s how I used to compete with my brother-in-law (Steph’s twin sister’s husband) for the mostest, biggest, bestest presents in the entire family. I mean, it would take days and days to shop and, hours and hours to wrap.
I think back in those days we spent over $500 dollars just to heap bribery after bribery onto the kids with hopes they would behave their best for the coming year. Ha! We would be lucky if we got 36 hours of haloed behavior out of them. Or, I would be tickled thrilled that Steph “loved” her gifts. Or better yet, I would pretend the “OH WOW…these are the best presents I could ever get!” attitude.
Then came that fateful moment on the floor of the bathroom and the ensuring moments. Nothing could have prepared me for that…NOTHING! In the midst of it all, the EMTs thought I had a stroke. It wasn’t till an hour later in the ER when the diagnosis of “mild heart attack” came back. I looked at Steph and was all like “Did you hear that? I had a (bleeping) heart attack!? You gotta be kidding me!”. (see Dead Rabbits and Pixie Dust)
In the following months, as I was recovering I had a new found faith in that there was some external workings behind all this. And like many of us, became a believer. Gone was the stress of worrying, the arrogancy, the rough and raw, the me-me. In place, a more gentle, kinder, and softer person.
It really took fifty some odd years to realize that life shouldn’t be taken for granted. That we live for today. That we should be grateful for what we have. That whatever happens, happens…we’ll just be prepared and deal with it when it happens.
During the course of this year, I met and saw scores of beautiful people. From my fellow CI mentors and all of the wonderful folks at Advanced Bionics and the Bionic Ear Association. To all of those who I have IMed, emailed and finally got to meet in person in Nashville. To the countless number of CI candidates by email and in person. Two very special angels. To one very precious 11 year older. To all of my dead rabbits (who were suddenly revived) and fellow runners at Checkers AC. The 50-54ers and 55-59ers. The dinner crowd. My extended family. “Zero to 200 in nothing” and his beautiful wife. Mom, Ellen, Tom, Julie/Russ and their kids, Josh/Giosi and their kids, cousins Neal, Jeffrey, Evelyn, Leon. And of course, Steph, Mike and Dan.
I have come to realize that above all of this, the greatest gift we can give is LOVE. It doesn’t cost anything. Anyone can give it. There is no limit to how much you can give. And you can give it in any which way you want. So to each and every one of you, in speaking from my repaired heart please accept my gratitude and thanks for your tremendous outpour of support. And in return, accept my LOVE and wishes for a very wonderful Happy Holidays!
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1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
-1 Corinthians 13
Dec 212009
Click on photo to enlarge
Many of you know me as the all consuming BEA (Bionic Ear Association) mentor. The above is what appears in the BEA calendar for November 2010. And not only am I getting myself some national exposure but so is Checkers AC, the running club I belong to.
My CIs continue to gradually improve my hearing. I do have to admit that I had been slacking off in practicing and I think I am paying for that mistake as I still have not yet mastered the phone.
On the CI mentoring front, a lot happened this year. I met 30 some odd other CIers from all around the country at the corporate headquarters for Advanced Bionics where we spent five most memorable days getting to know each other, learning how we can help others and see our where our CIs are built.
In addition to mentoring countless number of candidates plus a few who were struggling post-op, I helped start up a BEA chapter in Western NY. We had our first social in August. With the help of a mom of an 11 y/o CIer, we will have another one in February 2010 at the Batavia Public Library. More details to follow.
Below is a booklet the 11 y/o wrote based on her first CI experience. It is written by Mary who went deaf at three and a half, received her first implant at six and just had surgery to receive her second implant. She also won the Girl Scouts Bronze Award. I had the opportunity to meet this wonderful gal last week.
click on photo to enlarge
For 2010, I think there is going to be a lot of good things happening. As much as I am looking forward to continuous improvement, I want to continue to help others. This would not only be in help choosing and naivgating the CI world but also those who are newly activated. And, if you would like me to help you please head over to the Bionic Ear Connect to a Mentor website. And by the way, I am the guy in the middle of the back row in the yellow shirt.
Before I get to the topic on hand…I will be running the Breaking the Sound Barrier 5K tomorrow for the benefit of the St. Mary’s School for the Deaf. Even though I wasn’t a student there, my CIs give me the incentive to make this a special race.
And now to the topic on hand….here is a recent exchange with someone I am mentoring on the Bionic Ear Association (BEA) website…
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Hi Sam. Very good of you to follow up on this. I met with the audie Monday for 9 months follow-up visit. She made “dramatic changes” to the maps (her words) and said it was well worth coming in for the appointment. She also wants me to try the other HiRes program. I forget whether it is P or S. I was using the one favored by long-term deafness. I am to try the other strategy for two weeks and then switch.
I have to say hearing with the CI is like reading glow in the dark letters as opposed to reading black on white. Same information, just a different way of getting into my head. She also said it will take 4 to 5 years before I realize full use of the CI, something I was expecting to hear from our conversations with you and my research prior to CI. I wanted to be that “special” one with the dream activation. 
Back to the subject at hand – the audie boosted my levels so I hear better – just need to “like” the sound the CI gives me since it gives me more information than the familiar HA. I don’t like rustling papers – they hurt. The audie said she cannot strike a balance between human speech and papers. I can’t say I liked that answer. Reading books is part of my daily rehab and wincing as I turn the papers as quietly as I can….That is not normal.
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My response…
It is interesting you mention the rustling paper as an annoying sound. To me, its more of a welcome sound because it is something I have never heard all my life. The more I hear it, the more my brain knows it is an “unnecessary” sound and it tunes it out. It doesn’t tune it out completely but instead, it chooses to ignore or minimize it. The same can be said for a lot of other sounds in my every day life…the ticking of clocks, the car engine, road noise, water running, etc.
We are like snowflakes with our CIs. Each and everyone of us is different. I don’t think there is a right or a wrong but instead, its a matter of how we exchange information with the Audiologist and how that is interpret into the computer program that makes our maps. No matter what, I always practice the 3 Ps – Persistence, Perseverance and Patience!
Sam
So please don’t forget…and those 3Ps can apply to anything you do in life…Persistence, Perseverance, Patience.
It’s been a while since I have done a post so I thought maybe I’ll use today’s entry to catch up on things.
Its been a little more than three months since my heart attack. Thank God for my family, my angels, my friends I am fully recovered. I’ve made changes to my diet cutting out or back the fried fatty foods, butter (try Smart Balance. It’s just as good!), pizza, meats (don’t give me that shocking look!) and I have explicitly prohibited wine in the house. I am feeling great although I am still hard pressed to shed those last 10-12 pounds especially with the running season coming to an end.
On the job front, after a setback where an opportunity I thought I had fell through, I am still stomping the pavement. Many of you know me as the all consummate IT and Accounting professional. Even though my recent experience has been IT with focus in report development and business intelligence, I have decided to reach back into my past to when I was an Accountant in the not-for-profit field. One thing I would love to do is leverage the combination of both skills into a Programmer who knows accounting and, an Accountant who knows programming. And two areas that I am extremely proficient in are developing financial and non-financial reports, business analysis and business process improvements. If you or you know of someone who can use my skills, please let me know.
I have pretty much cut back on my running schedule. Unlike last year where I did 40 races and the year before – 34, I’ll probably finish just a little over 20. I am finding that if I am ever going to get that elusive sub-21 time, I’ll have to be lighter and give myself more rest before a race. This Saturday, I will be doing the Breaking the Sound Barrier for the benefit of the St. Mary’s School for the Deaf. And for the rest of the year, the Bob Ivory Run, Lindsay’s Legacy 5k and the world famous YMCA Turkey Trot. As I mentioned to Anne, I am projecting 13,279 runners at this year’s Turkey Trot.
My cochlear implants continue to be a source of joy. I am still picking up wow moments here and there. The other day, I was able to hear the Canadian geese flying overhead…at least I got the warning to look out for the green poop! I was also at a meeting where a mom was holding a crying baby and patting him on the back to quiet him down. It sounded like she was pounding him on the back! I have also been increasing my activity as a mentor on the Bionic Ear Association (BEA). And lately, I have been starting on books on CDs in an attempt to break the age old myth of “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. Basically, its time to reduce and hopefully do away with the total reliance on lip-reading. This of course would be the first step to trying to use the telephone, unassisted.
So that is it for now…any questions?
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