Oklahoma boy hears for the first time thanks to cochlear implants
By Meghan Mosley
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Oklahoma (KOCO) — A four-year-old boy from Oklahoma, Axel Noland, is hearing the world for the first time after receiving cochlear implants, a life-changing gift for him and his family.
Axel’s father, Dillon Noland, shared that the journey has been challenging from the start.
“It started out crazy from the very beginning,” he said.
Since birth, Axel has faced numerous complications.
“We didn’t know what his prognosis was gonna be when he was born. We didn’t know if he was gonna breathe or what was gonna happen. And it turned out he was okay. Spent a week in the NICU here, and all things were good,” Dillon said.
Axel was born with congenital CMV, a condition explained by Dr. Vick Ramjee, a pediatric otolaryngologist.
“It’s a type of infection that children can get passed down maternally, or from congenital reasons, and it’s a cytomegalovirus, the most common leading cause of genetic hearing loss in children in the United States,” Ramjee said.
Dillon spoke about the emotional challenges of raising a child with hearing loss.
“It is difficult, yeah. And I know for me personally, you grieve the child that you don’t have, but you have the child in front of you still. So, it’s hard to do that. It’s hard. Not that it’s hard not to appreciate my son, but it’s hard to know I can’t take him fishing, I can’t go hiking with him, there’s a lot of things I don’t get to do,” he said.
The family initially tried hearing aids, but they were not effective over time.
They then opted for cochlear implants.
Dr. Ramjee noted the benefits of this decision.
“What we know is that cochlear implants at his age can have a profound benefit from long-term speech and articulation,” he said.
In a video from Oklahoma Children’s OU Health, Axel’s cochlear implants were activated, allowing him to hear his parents and the world around him better than ever before.
“We’re gonna turn them on slowly and increase the volume,” the video showed, followed by Axel’s parents saying, “Hi baby! I love you. Haha, hi baby.”
Reflecting on the moment, Dillon said, “That moment itself was looking back now, was monumental, because I didn’t know how much these cochlear implants would help with him in his overall development. Not just in his hearing, but his looking, because he’s combining two senses together.”
Despite the tough journey, Dillon expressed gratitude for the medical team that helped open up Axel’s world.
“It can be difficult, but it can be so rewarding to watch him grow,” he said.
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