Missi and Adam Prosser clapped their hands behind their six-month-old daughter’s back. They blew a whistle next to Nora when she was asleep in their Mechanicsburg home.
Nora didn’t respond.
The couple noticed that Nora wasn’t babbling like their older two daughters had at that age. She would imitate mouth movements, but no sound came out. Their pediatrician referred Nora for hearing tests, which confirmed their suspicions.
Nora had profound, congenital hearing loss in both ears.
For six months, the Prossers worked with early intervention therapists to give Nora signs and visual language to help with her diagnosed speech delay. Hearing aids didn’t seem to help.
Online research and conversations with medical professionals at Penn State Hershey led the couple to decide they would have Nora evaluated for two cochlear implants, electronic medical devices that replace the function of the damaged inner ear, providing sound signals to the brain.
Learn more about Nora’s journey in this Penn State Medicine article.