Woman Credits Double Cochlear Implants for Renewed Life

Candace Wilcox was 14 years old when she started going completely deaf.

Wilcox tried all kinds of treatments but nothing worked. She had lost all hope of ever hearing again, but then she had cochlear implants placed in both ears.

The cochlea is deep within the ear, and damage to it can stop or diminish the sound. To fix the problem, surgeons place electrodes in the cochlea and attach them to a receiver just under the skin.

When a transmitter is placed outside the head on the receiver, the sound begins.

Wilcox has regained more than 97 percent of her hearing in both ears, and she said she's also gotten her life back.

Doctors will choose single or double cochlear implants based on whether the person is completely deaf or has some residual hearing in one ear.