Published: November 07, 2009 11:35 am      

Helping people hear

Audiologist to receive cochlear implant

Audiologist Thomas Mahoney’s mission in life is to help people hear.

He will soon hear better himself.

“Through helping people all these years and lagging behind myself, now it’s my turn to get a significant step towards improvement,” he said.

Mahoney has struggled with hearing loss his entire life but will soon receive a cochlear implant.

“When you’re 9, you don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “It’s affected my life more than I think I realize.

“When you’re in a situation where you’re really struggling to hear it’s taxing. It takes lots of energy.”

A family history of hearing loss caused Mahoney’s mother to be cautious about his and his brother’s hearing.

“All six boys went for hearing tests frequently,” he said. “Three of them have hearing loss, and three have great hearing. I have the poorest hearing of all six.”

Mahoney was 21 before he received his first pair of hearing aids.

Over the years, he has tried many different brands and types of hearing aids.

“I’ve come to the point where hearing aids are no longer able to benefit my hearing,” he said. “Cochlear implant is the next effective step for me because I’ve pushed the limit of hearing aids.”

He said he struggled with the idea of a cochlear implant at first but has grown accustomed to it and considers himself ready.

His mother received a cochlear implant when she was 80 years old.

“At age 84 she talks like a teenager,” he said. “I am now ready and motivated. Not everybody’s a candidate for cochlear implants.”



Helping people hear

Mahoney’s mission is plainly seen in the name of his office, Helping People Hear.

But even before he was an audiologist, he lived up to that goal, serving as a missionary in Jamaica.

“I went to Bible school and learned sign language, but the Lord had other plans for me,” he said. “I am so glad I obeyed.”

He came back in 1990 to do postgraduate work. He worked for several years in Corsicana before returning to Cleburne.

He opened his own office in the Nolan River Mall about two years ago.

“I’m glad it was the right time to start,” he said.

Mahoney said he hopes to return to third-world countries to help later.

“In these third-world countries, you can alter a person’s life, not just tweak it,” he said.



The surgery

Dr. Robert Peters will conduct the surgery at Medical City. Peters has done more than 700 cochlear implants.

Mahoney will receive the cochlear implant in his left ear first.

“I’ll be able to function with my right ear for a while,” he said. “I don’t expect to be out of the office more than a day or two.”

He hopes to have the surgery done before the end of the year.

“I have great confidence in this doctor,” he said.

Mahoney said he looks forward to hearing better in church and doing better in social situations.

His first surgery will be as an outpatient. He will heal for three weeks or so and then receive the processor that goes behind the outside of his ear.

The implant is an electronic device that will be placed inside his ear, and the processor transmits the sound.

Less than 1 percent of implants have a malfunction that requires replacement, so Mahoney looks forward to a long life of good hearing.