Today marks 28 years since my cochlear implant was activated.

For me, August 6 has always been just as meaningful as July 7, the anniversary of my surgery. Surgery was the day my implant was placed, but activation was the day everything truly began. It was the day I heard through my cochlear implant for the first time and started a journey that has now lasted nearly three decades.

Every year, I’ve celebrated this anniversary with gratitude.

This year feels different.

In May (2 months ago), I received unexpected news from Advanced Bionics that completely changed the way I look at this milestone. Instead of simply celebrating 28 years with my cochlear implant, I found myself reflecting on everything that happened along the way — the excitement, the frustrations, the long waits, and the uncertainty about what comes next.

In my previous article, 28 Years: A Bittersweet Cochlear Implant Anniversary – Part 1, I shared why the announcement from Advanced Bionics was so devastating and why it felt like the final blow after decades of broken expectations. 

In this article, I want to focus on a different part of my journey — the people who have been with me along the way, the processors I’ve used over the past 28 years, and how my recent appointments have helped me begin looking toward the future.

The People Behind the Technology

When most people think about cochlear implants, they think about the surgeon or the technology itself. Those are certainly important, but they are only part of the story.

For cochlear implant recipients, audiologists are the people who stay with us for years. They’re there for every mapping appointment, every processor upgrade, every technical problem, and every new question. They celebrate our successes, help us through disappointments, and often become familiar faces throughout our journey.

For nearly 24 years, that person was Shelly Ozdamar.

Since becoming deaf at the age of two, I’ve worked with many audiologists. Most of them were part of my life for only a few years before I moved on to someone else. Shelly was different. We worked together for nearly 24 years — by far the longest I’ve ever worked with any audiologist.

She mapped every processor I used, helped troubleshoot countless problems, answered my many questions, and was there through every stage of my cochlear implant journey. She also experienced my growing frustration with Advanced Bionics firsthand.

When I was first implanted in 1998, I was told a behind-the-ear (BTE) processor would be available “soon.” Shelly watched those three years of waiting turn into reality before the Platinum BTE was finally released. She later supported me through years of technical problems with Platinum, celebrated when Harmony finally arrived in 2011, and then shared my disappointment as year after year passed without another BTE processor for C1 recipients.

Through all of those changes, Shelly remained a constant. While manufacturers decided what products to develop and when to release them, she focused on helping me get the very best performance from the equipment I already had.

Looking back, I realize that’s one of the most important roles an audiologist plays. The internal implant may remain the same for decades, but audiologists help recipients adapt to everything that happens along the way. They become part of our story, not just our medical care.

Only Two BTE Processors in 28 Years

Looking back, I almost see my cochlear implant journey in terms of the processors I’ve used over the years:

• 1998 – 2001: Original body-worn processor (3 years)
• 2001 – 2011: Platinum BTE (10 years)
• 2011 – Present: Harmony BTE (15 years and counting)

When I look at that timeline, one thing really stands out to me. Over 28 years, first generation C1 recipients received only two BTE processor upgrades from Advanced Bionics. During that same period, recipients with even older implants from some other manufacturers received more BTE upgrades than we did.

Seeing that contrast has made me reflect on how differently manufacturers have approached long-term support for their earliest recipients.

Waiting … Again

When I chose Advanced Bionics in 1998, one of the biggest factors in my decision was the promise that a behind-the-ear (BTE) processor would be available “soon” after my surgery. At the time, Cochlear already offered a BTE processor, while Advanced Bionics required recipients to wear a bulky body-worn processor connected by a long cable.

Before receiving my cochlear implant, I wore hearing aids. After I became deaf, I was first fitted with body-worn hearing aids, and I hated them so much that I often chose not to wear them. Everything changed when I received BTE hearing aids in elementary school. I loved them and wore them regularly until my cochlear implantation.

The thought of going back to another body-worn device for my cochlear implant was the last thing I wanted. Knowing that a BTE processor was supposedly just around the corner gave me the confidence to choose Advanced Bionics.

Unfortunately, “soon” turned into three years.

Three years may not sound like a long time, but when you wear a processor every single day, it feels much longer. The body processor felt bulky and inconvenient, with a long cable connecting it to my headpiece. Going back to a body-worn processor was exactly what I had hoped to avoid.

Finally receiving the Platinum BTE in 2001 felt like a huge milestone. For the first time, everything fit behind my ear instead of being clipped to my clothing, and I remember thinking, “This is what I had been waiting for.”

Unfortunately, that excitement didn’t last.

Although the Platinum BTE was a major step forward, it also came with its own frustrations. It had many problems, the batteries usually lasted only two to five hours, and because of its design, it often made my ear sore. Ironically, there were times when I switched back to my original body processor because it was simply more practical. Its batteries often lasted ten to fourteen hours, compared with only two to five hours for the Platinum BTE. There were even periods when I chose not to wear my cochlear implant at all because dealing with the equipment had become so frustrating.

At the time, I assumed another BTE upgrade would arrive in about five years. Instead, I ended up using the Platinum BTE for nearly ten years before Harmony was finally released.

Receiving Harmony in 2011 gave me hope all over again. Compared with Platinum, Harmony was an improvement in many ways. It was more reliable, more comfortable, and my batteries initially lasted around ten hours, which felt like a huge improvement over Platinum. Over the years, that gradually dropped to about five to seven hours because of mapping changes and the batteries getting older.

Even though Harmony worked better, it wasn’t much smaller or lighter than Platinum. After years of reading about Advanced Bionics’ focus on miniaturization, I expected each new generation of processors to become noticeably smaller and lighter. I also thought I’d be getting another BTE upgrade in about five years — not waiting another ten or fifteen.

Instead, another fifteen years passed.

Every time I visited my audiologist, attended a conference or local event where Advanced Bionics had a booth or was a sponsor, or emailed Advanced Bionics managers, I’d ask the same question: “Any news about the next BTE?”

The answer was almost always the same: “Not yet.”

Year after year, I kept telling myself, “Maybe this will finally be the year.” Eventually, hope gave way to frustration.

When Chorus Arrived

In 2019, Advanced Bionics introduced the Chorus processor for C1 recipients. At first, I was excited simply because it meant the company hadn’t forgotten about us.

Then I learned it was another body-worn processor. That was incredibly disappointing.

After waiting three years for my first BTE back in the early 2000s, I had no desire to go back to wearing a body processor again. To me, the Platinum BTE represented freedom, and Harmony built on that experience. Returning to another body-worn design felt like taking a step backward instead of forward.

Many C1 recipients, myself included, decided not to switch to Chorus. We continued hoping that Advanced Bionics was still working on a modern BTE processor for the C1 implant — one that would be smaller, lighter, and offer longer battery life.

Looking back now, I realize many of us kept waiting because we genuinely believed another BTE was still coming.

Instead, the unexpected news in May revealed that Harmony would be the final BTE processor for C1 recipients. I also learned that, over the previous two to three years, Advanced Bionics had gradually discontinued replacement parts for the Harmony processor. By the time recipients received barely one month’s notice, the remaining discontinued parts were already no longer available through the AB Store.

Many of us scrambled to obtain replacement parts from other Advanced Bionics users who no longer needed their Harmony equipment or through a cochlear implant foundation that had only a limited supply, especially of batteries. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to obtain additional batteries, and any I might eventually find would already be used rather than new.

As one of Advanced Bionics’ earliest C1 recipients, I felt betrayed and couldn’t help feeling that the trust many of us had placed in the company back then had been broken. After nearly three decades of loyalty, this was not how I expected my journey with the C1 system to end.

Returning to My Cochlear Implant Center

Around four years ago, I had my last appointment with Shelly. Shortly afterward, she left the cochlear implant center. Because my Harmony processor continued working well and I had no immediate concerns, I did not return for several years.

Everything changed after the recent bombshell news from Advanced Bionics.

For the first time in years, I found myself back at my cochlear implant center — not because I wanted a routine mapping, but because I suddenly had questions I had never expected to ask. Instead of wondering when the next processor upgrade might arrive, I was trying to figure out how long I could continue using the equipment I already had.

This time, I met with my new audiologist, Nicole Sislian. Although Shelly had left the center several years earlier, I already knew Nicole because the two of them had worked together for many years.

Nicole tested my hearing with the Harmony processor and told me that I was still hearing well with it. My internal implant was continuing to function well. Since everything was working well, we decided not to adjust my mapping because doing so could reduce my battery life even further.

More importantly, our conversation was not just about my current processor. For the first time, we started talking about the future.

Meeting a New Surgeon

My July visit also marked another important change.

Dr. Paul Hammerschlag, who implanted my cochlear implant in 1998, had retired. For the first time in 28 years, I found myself meeting a different cochlear implant surgeon.

I’ll admit I was nervous. Dr. Hammerschlag was the surgeon who implanted me back in 1998, and Shelly had been my audiologist for nearly 24 years. After so many years with familiar faces, walking into appointments with an entirely new team felt strange at first.

Fortunately, those feelings disappeared almost immediately.

From my very first appointment, Dr. George Wanna took the time to understand my history, answer my many questions, and discuss every option with me. Rather than rushing me toward surgery, he wanted to understand how I used my implant, what my goals were, and what mattered most to me.

That gave me confidence that we were making decisions together rather than simply following a standard path.

Following my first consultation with him, I underwent a CT scan to evaluate both ears and better understand what options might be available in the future.

I will admit it — I was anxious.

Ever since receiving the bombshell news from Advanced Bionics in May, I had spent two months worrying that revision surgery might become necessary much sooner than I had expected. That possibility was especially upsetting because my internal implant was still working well and I could still use my Harmony processor.

Instead, I heard exactly what I needed to hear.

After reviewing my CT scan and discussing my history, Dr. Wanna explained that because my internal implant continues to function well, there is no reason to rush into revision surgery. His recommendation was simple: continue using my Harmony processor for as long as it remains usable and consider revision only when it becomes necessary.

I cannot describe how relieved I felt. For the first time since receiving the bombshell news from Advanced Bionics, I felt like I could finally breathe again.

Instead of feeling pressured to make an immediate decision, I suddenly had something I didn’t think I had anymore: time.

• Time to continue using the internal implant that has served me well for nearly 28 years.
• Time to continue using my current Harmony processor until my remaining batteries can no longer power it.
• Time to continue researching my future options.

And, most importantly, time to make one of the biggest medical decisions of my life carefully instead of feeling rushed.

Looking Ahead

One thing, however, has become clear to me.

If revision surgery eventually becomes necessary, I do not plan to choose Advanced Bionics again.

That decision wasn’t made overnight. It reflects nearly 28 years of experiences — years of waiting for processor upgrades, repeated disappointments, and ultimately losing trust in the company. Part 1 explains those experiences in much greater detail, so I won’t repeat them here.

Instead, I have started researching what comes next.

For me, that means learning as much as I can about Cochlear and MED-EL, the two manufacturers I am most seriously considering for a future revision.

At the moment, I find myself leaning toward Cochlear. Ironically, it was the company I seriously considered before choosing Advanced Bionics back in 1998. Nearly three decades later, I find myself revisiting that decision with the benefit of 28 years of experience.

That doesn’t mean I’ve already made my decision.

Revision surgery is one of the biggest medical decisions I will ever make, and I don’t intend to rush it. Over the coming months — and perhaps years — I plan to continue learning about both Cochlear and MED-EL, speaking with recipients, meeting with professionals, attending cochlear implant events, and carefully weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each system before deciding which one is the best fit for me.

One thing I know for certain is that I am grateful I have the time to make that decision carefully.

A Sunset I Didn’t Understand at the Time

One of my favorite photographs from Australia appears at the beginning of this article. I took it during a visit to Yarra Valley just a few days before everything changed.

During my visit, I noticed a colorful sculpture made up of four upright pieces. Immediately, it reminded me of BTE cochlear implant processors. As I took the photograph, the sun was setting over Yarra Valley.

Standing there, I found myself wondering when Advanced Bionics would finally release a new BTE processor for C1 recipients. After waiting so many years, I still hadn’t completely given up hope.

What I didn’t know at the time was that Advanced Bionics had already begun mailing letters announcing the end of support for the C1 ecosystem. I would learn that news only a few days later while I was in Sydney — home of Cochlear. Looking back, the irony wasn’t lost on me because Cochlear was the very company I had seriously considered before choosing Advanced Bionics in 1998.

Looking back now, that photograph means something entirely different to me:

• At the time, I thought I was simply capturing a beautiful Australian sunset. I had no idea that one chapter of my cochlear implant journey was ending and another was about to begin.
• Today, I can’t help seeing it as the sunset of my journey with the C1 system.

Final Thoughts

As I reflect on this bittersweet anniversary, I find myself thinking about how much has changed over the past 28 years.

I’ve gone from wearing a bulky body-worn processor to behind-the-ear processors. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate to work with wonderful people on my cochlear implant team. I’ve celebrated milestones, faced disappointments, and met incredible people throughout the cochlear implant community.

Through it all, one thing has remained the same.

The same internal implant I received on July 7, 1998, and first activated on August 6, 1998, is still working today.

For that, I remain deeply grateful.

I don’t know exactly when the next chapter of my cochlear implant journey will begin.

For now, my goal is simple: continue using my Harmony processor until my remaining batteries can no longer power it, keep learning about my options, and make that decision only when the time is right.

I hope my story encourages other cochlear implant recipients to ask questions, understand their options, and advocate for themselves throughout their own journeys.

I also hope that future generations of cochlear implant recipients never have to celebrate an anniversary while wondering how much longer they will be able to use a perfectly functioning implant simply because the external equipment it depends on is no longer available.

My cochlear implant journey isn’t over. It’s simply entering a new chapter — one that I’ll approach with nearly three decades of experience, a wonderful new medical team, and the time to make the right decision.