Between the ages of one and two, we began noticing that something felt different with Mina. She could still hear music—she’d light up and dance in rhythm like it was second nature. If we called her name, she’d respond. Her babble sounded like real words. But compared to her older sister, something was… off. I know they say not to compare your kids since each kid is different, but it wasn’t just a speech delay—it felt like there was more to it.
We started piecing things together after Mina experienced her first couple of seizures. After that, her responses seemed to shift. Her hearing didn’t feel quite the same anymore.
We were eventually referred to an audiologist. That’s when we first heard the words: profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. This means that Mina had severe hearing loss in both ears, and it was due to problems in the inner ear or the auditory nerve. Essentially, her ability to hear sounds was significantly reduced, and even loud noises wouldn’t be processed normally.
[Sensorineural hearing loss refers to damage to the inner ear (cochlea) or the nerve pathways that send sound signals to the brain. Bilateral means both ears are affected, and profound indicates the severity of the loss.]
They wanted to run an ABR test, or Auditory Brainstem Response test, to find out how much she could actually hear.
[The ABR is a type of hearing test that doesn’t require the child to respond or cooperate—instead, it measures how the brain reacts to sound using electrodes placed on the head. It’s often used for babies or young children who can’t do a typical “raise your hand when you hear the beep” hearing test.]
Because Mina was so young and constantly on the move, she had to be sedated for the ABR to get accurate results. It was the first time she’d ever been sedated, and as parents, that moment hit hard. Handing your baby over to a medical staff you just met was terrifying, even though we knew it was necessary.
The results showed that one ear was worse than the other, and she could only hear within a very limited decibel range—only loud sounds would register.
While we don’t know for sure if the seizures were the cause of her hearing loss, we’ve always wondered if they could have been a factor. It was something we had to consider, though the exact relationship between her seizures and her hearing loss remained unclear.
The next step was fitting her for hearing aids. That process was, honestly, a challenge. Trying to get molds made for a squirmy, distressed toddler? Let’s just say there were a lot of tears. (Hers and almost ours too.) We’re not huge fans of Cocomelon, but in that moment, we were deeply grateful for it—it helped calm her just long enough to get what we needed.
Mina began a 4-month hearing aid trial, which is the recommended step before discussing other options. And to her credit, she amazed us—she didn’t pull the hearing aids out like many toddlers do. She continued each day like nothing was different.
But in the end, the hearing aids didn’t help.
We had hoped they would, but we had to face the reality that Mina’s hearing loss was more profound than we initially realized. We knew the next step in her journey would be the search for something more—something that might give her the sound she needed to truly thrive.
Mina’s cochlear implant journey was just about to begin.
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