91 Year Old War Veteran Becomes Oldest Person To Get Cochlear Implants

Raymond Kelly, a 91-year old World War II veteran, became the world's oldest patient to be fitted with a cochlear implant. He had suffered from progressive hearing loss since childhood, and the condition got so bad that people had to write down what they wanted to say to him. After a successful surgery, he can finally hear his ten grandchildren and two great grandchildren for the first time in his life. The two-hour operation done at St George's Hospital has transformed his life.

"It has changed my life," said Raymond, a retired British Aerospace worker. He added "Now I can hear my family's voices, listen to the radio and birds singing." Before this surgery he used to work by drawing intricate technical illustrations for Concorde, and other airliners, for publication.

Despite such conditions he did not back down from the challenges of life. He joined the Air Cadets during the second world war and had a successful 25 year career in the aircraft industry thereafter. He said "It used to be so frustrating having to get people to write down what they wanted to say to me. I was always very sociable but I stopped going out because I could no longer hear what was going on."

A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants bypass the damaged hair cells of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain. The new design is much thinner and will help him lead an active life.

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