When Matt Hay learned he was going to lose his hearing, he prepared in the ways you might expect. He took a sign-language class. He learned to read lips. He also tried to anticipate what things he might miss about being able to hear. Near the top of that list was music. As he prepared for a day when he may not hear, Matt made an independent study of all the music that he loved. Imagine learning you would never hear your favorite song again. Matt made it his mission to memorize every crescendo, every lyric, every riff of all his favorite songs. 

            When Matt finally did lose his hearing completely, it wasn’t exactly the experience for which he had prepared. There were other things he missed: the sound of his wife’s laugh, hearing the words, “I love you,” his unborn child’s first words. It was also harder to implement all the things he thought he would need. He didn’t seem to remember enough signs and ended up finger spelling or writing everything down to communicate with his wife. He didn’t realize it would be hard to express a feeling or have an argument or even just communicate what he needed. He worried about being “that guy” who needs the accommodations when he spent time with friends or family. When Matt’s doctor offered him an auditory brian stem implant to restore some of his hearing, the technology was still new. Uncertain about the benefits, Matt ultimately decided that it would be worth it because of all the things he would miss, he did not want to miss out on hearing his children laugh or cry.

            Just as he did not lose his hearing all at once, neither did the surgery restore Matt’s hearing immediately. His brain ha

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