Hearing for First Time Video

Video Details: Video clip of 29 year old girl hearing for the 1st time! Thanks to a medical procedure, Sarah Churman heard herself speak for the first time. Severely hearing impaired since birth, Sarah Churman had long managed to cope in a world where sounds came as if they were under water. But now, a surgical implant lets her hear her own voice, the sounds of birds singing, her two daughters chattering - and her husband snoring.

Envoy Medical, the maker of the Esteem, along with the rest of the world, has been touched by Sarah Churman's video of her Esteem activation experience. The YouTube video, which she shared just days ago, has gone viral with over 4 million views and has prompted several news interviews, including a guest appearance on NBC's Today Show.

Ms. Churman's device activation is not unlike the experiences of many recipients of the Esteem. Patients often become emotional during activation when hearing their own voice or voices of their family members. Sounds they have never heard before bring tears of joy.

The Esteem technology is designed for people with moderate to severe (40-90 dB and in some cases greater) sensorineural hearing loss who have some residual hearing. The Esteem is a prosthetic cochlear stimulator (mechanical) not a cochlear implant (electrical). Unlike Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids, which use microphones, the Esteem uses the natural ear drum and eliminates background noise.

Once implanted, an Esteem recipient is unaware of its presence. The Esteem is completely invisible and the battery, which lasts approximately 7 years, never needs to be recharged. There are no speakers or microphones. The natural ear is utilized to restore hearing with our revolutionary prosthetic inner ear stimulator.

Over 500 people have been implanted with the Esteem, an FDA approved, prosthetic hearing restoration device. The Esteem completely eliminates the need for hearing aids and allows a person to resume a normal life. Patrick Spearman, CEO of Envoy Medical, stated: "We have been able to accomplish with Esteem what hearing aids attempted to do."

Envoy Medical Corporation and the Envoy Medical Implant Center in The Woodlands, TX, where Ms. Churman received the Esteem, thank Ms. Churman for sharing her miraculous experience with the world. Envoy Medical continues to open satellite offices across the country, most recently in San Jose, California.

Further information can be found on Envoy Medical's web site www.envoymedical.com or by calling toll free 866-950-HEAR (4327). - SOURCE: Envoy Medical

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