Last Friday Alice finally collected her speech processor which she now has to wear for the next two weeks to get used to it before she is ‘switched on’. Thus far, she has had it on constantly and even comes to tell us when the earpiece pops off. She seems rather proud of it, so let’s hope this is an omen of things to come…

Alice and Her New Speech Processor

On Sunday – Mother’s Day of all days – my dear mum, Alice’s Granny, passed away very suddenly in St. Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey. She had been rushed there for emergency surgery nearly four weeks ago now and having suffered both pneumonitis and a series of persistent lung infections, she finally lost her battle. My poor ma never got to see Alice after her surgery as she went into hospital for her own operation a few days before Alice’s op, but did manage to call to check she was ok before being sedated in ICU. I hope she rests safe in the knowledge that Alice is safe and well.

Life will never be the same without her. We have lost a dear mother and friend and Alice a loving and infuriatingly selfless Granny.

If anything, this has strengthened our resolve to fight for a positive outcome for Alice – to fight by whatever means and do whatever it takes so that one day we will hear her voice, something my dear mum will never enjoy, but wanted more than anything. I hope she is up there somewhere, keeping watch and doing her best to help.

Granny with her beloved Grandchildren, Alice & Joseph

A little over 24 hours after she came back from surgery, Alice was tucked up in her own bed.  Amazingly, she appears completely oblivious to the enormity of the previous day.  Joseph and Daddy came to get us from the hospital and we got to see the x-ray of her head (including implant).  As Joseph said, it does look scary, taking up a fair part of half her head, she is now truly bionic.

With minimal swelling and little bruising she is now back to her normal chaotic self.  Stopping her from climbing on chairs and running around is almost impossible.  For the curious amongst us the implant is able to be felt, but aside from a very neat scar near her ear, she looks normal.  Curiously, the absolute silence from her implanted ear is not bothering her and she is sleeping well. 

With the surgery behind us, we are now entering the next stage of her journey.  The surgery is such a small part of the success of the implant, to a certain extent, her outcome is now what we make it.

So three weeks of boredom loom, waiting for switch on.  Bring on the 2nd April !