As some of you will be aware (not least, because we have mentioned it here a few times), the BBC have kindly commissioned a short piece (around 15 minutes) as part of next week’s ‘See Hear’ programme, about ANSD. This will be the first television programme, anywhere in the world (so far as we are aware) to help raise the profile of ANSD. I can only thank the BBC for believing in us when we wrote to them…It will include an interview with Kai Uus from the Uni of Manchester, an interview with Alice’s CI surgeon, David Selvadurai (including film of him operating), interviews with us and plenty of footage of Alice at School and in Audiology. We are all very excited (none more so than Alice herself)

Anyhow, the programme will be aired next Wednesday, 24th October at 1300pm on BBC2. It will be repeated twice thereafter and will be available on the BBC’s iPlayer after the event. We will try to get a copy put up on the blog for those of you in other countries who can’t view it first-hand. More info can be found here: BBC See Hear Website – let us know what you think when you’ve seen it (we haven’t seen it yet ourselves).

It is by a strange coincidence that as Graham Carrick celebrates the 30th anniversary of becoming the world’s first cochlear implantee, Oliver Campbell begins his journey to receive his implants.

At the time of Carrick’s surgery, the processor was, I am told, the size of a cupboard and could only be used in the lab. Oliver, fortunately, will receive two processors the size of hearing aids.

Tomorrow, little Oliver visits St. George’s (yet again – he was there getting new hearing aid moulds and having audiology today), but this time he will have his first taste of general anaesthetic. Oliver is having an MRI, CT and more ABR testing whilst asleep. You can’t (obviously) get a six-month-old to lie still for an hour in a scanner. I hated it when Alice went for the same tests. She was somewhat older and screamed herself to sleep as they held the facemask on. Oliver will be confused and, more importantly, very hungry.

That said, they are robust little things babies. He will probably barely notice what has happened and will be back home again by the afternoon. All we can hope for is that it passes without hitch and that the scans tell us what we want – that being that Oli’s inner ear physiology and the health of his auditory nerve are as they should be and that, all being well, his CI journey will be as successful as Alice’s.

So do spare a thought for the wee man tomorrow as he goes under at 10am.

Also, google Graham Carrick and read a little more of his story. It really is a wonder and, Professor Clark, let’s hope your invention can help our little boy too…

Little Oliver