Mikey's father, Alan, readily agreed to share his story.

"As new parents, we were initially shocked to discover that our little boy was born profoundly deaf. Believing that Mikey would never hear and might not be able to speak, we experienced a deep concern for Mikey's future. Then we discovered that there was hope for Mikey through a brilliant Australian invention of the Bionic Ear.

Since Mikey had his hearing ''switched on", his speech and hearing has now developed. Mikey can now recite his ABC, but it's the small things that make you really appreciate the difference the Bionic Ear has made. Things like hearing Mikey say "I love you Daddy", and the way he stops in his tracks when he hears a noise for the first time and asks "what's that?" - something we thought was impossible for Mikey who was born profoundly deaf."

Although advances in sound quality have been made for cochlear implant recipients, the device is presently unable to replicate the complex pattern of normal ear nerve activity due to practical limitations. Unfortunately, most recipients do not have near normal hearing, have difficulty with interference from background noise and have poor sound quality for music and therefore are unable to enjoy a tune or melody.

All money raised will go back into research at The Bionic Ear Institute. This includes funding researchers and their individual projects as well as equipment and further costs associated with research projects.

A Brief History of the Institute:

The Bionic Ear Institute is home to some of Australia's finest scientists and research staff. It was established in 1986, and is an independent, not-for-profit, medical research organisation.

Professor Graeme Clark AC gained international recognition by leading the team that pioneered research into the electrical stimulation of the auditory nervous system which ultimately led to the development of the prototype Bionic Ear (cochlear implant) at the Department of Otolaryngology in The University of Melbourne in the late 1970's - a first for Australia.

This discovery has had a life-changing effect on the lives of many people who were once profoundly deaf. The research was extended in the 1980's making it safe to implant the Bionic Ear in children who were born deaf. The first child was implanted in 1985 and now the Australian Bionic Ear has been implanted in over 80,000 people in more than 70 countries.

Today, children as young as 11 months are having double cochlear implants in the one surgery, allowing every opportunity to develop near normal speech, as can be seen in Mikey's inspirational story.

• Proceeds will go towards research into improving the Bionic Ear for recipients

Contact details for this appeal:
Ms Glenis Cook
Acting Public Relations & Fundraising Manager
Telephone: 03 9667 7500
Email: enquiries@bionicear.org
Website: www.bionicear.org

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