GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A West Michigan man is taking on life with a new perspective after getting cochlear implants.
Gerid Adams, the president of the local Hearing Loss Association of America Grand Rapids chapter went most his life with limited hearing and now says he wishes he would’ve done this surgery years ago.
A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that can help people hear if they have severe or total hearing loss.
Adams ended up getting bilateral cochlear implants after wearing hearing aids for 36 years. He lost most of his hearing as a child when he was just 2 years old.
Adams hopes his story will inspire others.
“People on average wait 7 to 10 years too long before they get help. The longer you wait your brain starts to lose the ability to turn sound into words. Reach out, you are not alone in all this, “ Adams said.
In fact, Adams said there’s between 600,000 to 1.2 million people in Michigan alone that have a hearing loss.
He invites everyone to come out to one of their meetings, they are the third Wednesday of every month.
For more information, visit the organization's website.
