Sandy’s Story My name is Sandy Mattingly; I live in Mesa, AZ and am retired from the City of Mesa Police Department. My story may be a common one but started about 25 years ago.  When I was about 35, I woke up one day and thought there was a cricket under my pillow. I never did find that cricket but I continued to hear it and realized this could be an indicator of a hearing problem. After contact with an ear specialist, I tried ear surgery but it did not fix the problem.  I wore hearing aids for many years and took classes in sign language struggling for better communication. My hearing slowly deteriorated from my left ear to my right ear and by the time I was about 45, I was almost totally deaf.  My sister, Carole Milligan, also had hearing problems, but hers started at a younger age.  She was introduced to the Cochlear Implant and decided on the surgery in 1994. She chose to have it out here in AZ at the Mayo Clinic so I could be involved.  After a couple of years of encouragement from Carole, I decided to take the plunge.   I was implanted in March, 1996 and knew from that day forward that I would hear again. It was a success and I have had over 10 years now of being able to hear with the help of the Cochlear Implant.  I used to pray my hearing would be restored and God did answer that prayer because of the Cochlear Corporation.  I was always involved in many activities but as my hearing loss became a detriment I slowly withdrew over the years from many of them. I have to thank God for the many blessings he has bestowed upon me and most of all for the restoration of my hearing.  It is such a pleasure now to communicate with not only my husband and family, but with my many friends I have met over the years.  My husband, Tom is especially happy with the results; we now have a more rewarding life with better communication.  I am most filled with joy when I hear my grandsons say “I love you Grandma”.    Now being retired and thoroughly enjoying life in general, I hope, as a Volunteer with Cochlear, I can help someone else take the plunge to improve their quality of life.  I want to thank the Cochlear Corporation and all the people that have helped me along my journey.       Sincerely,   Sandy Mattingly SandyMattingly@cox.net