Finding the Courage: Our Journey to Ishaan's Cochlear Implant
Early Diagnosis and Therapy in Calicut My son Ishaan K. T. was diagnosed with profound hearing loss when he was just an infant. Born and raised in Calicut, Kerala, his rehabilitation started early: he received hearing aids and began speech therapy at 8 months old. He started at WISH (Welcare Institute of Speech and Hearing, Calicut) under therapist Sreeranjini, followed by several other dedicated professionals. In 2016, our family—my wife Sangeetha and my parents, Velayudhan and Sandhya—stayed near AIISH (All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore) for nearly 20 days for tests and therapy. Back then, cochlear implants were not recommended to us. Facing the Fear and Hesitation Through our family friend Sathi Madam from Medical College, Calicut, we connected with top doctors, and we also visited Dr. Manoj’s ENT Super Speciality in East Hill, where surgery was first advised. My mother, Sandhya (who is no longer with us), often told us to look at the children thriving after cochlear...