Cochlear Implant HELP Interview with Stuart McNaughton

Stuart McNaughton is the author of "He Is Not Me," a book about his life as a deaf child and a hearing adult after he chose a cochlear implant. Here is my disclaimer. I just purchased the book, so I have not yet had time to read it, but I will likely come back to give my thoughts when I am done. Implanted adults are giving the book rave reviews.

Click the link below to read the interview.

Cochlear Implant HELP Interview with Stuart McNaughton

Many things that Stuart said in the interview really resonated with me. Also, what his mother said struck a chord. Below is the direct quote from the interview.

What do you think your parents’ advice would be to the parents of deaf children today?

I am laughing at this very question.  In fact, I just called my parents and my mother answered the phone.  I posed this question to her, and this is what she said: get lots of advice, do the research, but don’t delay.  I guess this kind of ties in with the Author’s Message on the He Is Not Me website, in which I state that I honestly didn’t start living until I was twenty-three, the day I got my cochlear implant.

That is exactly what many professionals and implant patients told us when we started the process. We did our best to follow that advice, and I firmly believe it was golden. It's vitally important for a child to be implanted as early as possible, if that is the path that the parents intend to take. Time is of the essence. Today we wish we had known sooner that Audrena was deaf. But as it is, we are thrilled with the progress she has made, and we know in our hearts that we made the right decision for her.

Stuart's book is available via Kindle edition, but you do not need a Kindle to purchase and read it. You can download the Kindle app for PC, or the app for the android phone/tablet. Purchase "He Is Not Me" here. You can also visit Stuart's website or Facebook page.