Athletic Trainer with Cochlear Implant Glides Toward Success – On & Off of the Ice
March 2, 2022
By Advance With MUSC Health, from advance.muschealth.org
Max Finley’s cochlear implant is a conversation starter — in more ways than one.
Certainly, the tiny device that processes sound and stimulates the auditory nerve has enabled him to hear and talk; it’s also a source of intrigue when people learn he’s wearing a robotic ear.
“The implant is very small and discreet, hardly noticeable, but when people find out I have one, they’re curious about how it works and what it looks like. I’ll explain and even show it to them, and then, that’s it. They quickly realize that I’m no different from them as far as my hearing is concerned. It shows a lot of people that the hearing-impaired are able-bodied people who can absolutely exceed expectations. It blows their mind.”