A woman who had been documenting her life with Ménière’s Disease corrected her symptoms with a cochlear implant. Her family caught her reaction to clearly hearing their voices for the first time, and they shared the heartwarming moment with the world.
Holly Cain, 47, has been battling Ménière’s since she was 18. In a TikTok video, she explained that her condition is an autoimmune disease of the inner ear, and it causes “debilitating dizziness, nausea, tinnitus [ringing, buzzing, or roaring in the ear], and, unfortunately, permanent hearing loss.”
The symptoms often “took a toll” on Holly’s mental illness. So in July of 2023, she decided to take a leap of faith and undergo a cochlear implant.
Holly shared that Ménière’s made her “miss out on so much,” especially since becoming a mother.
“I have missed out on conversations and laughs, and it is time to take control over this,” she said. “… I can’t wait to go to the grocery store and see someone I know and not want to run away. I’m definitely self-isolating much more than ever.”
She continued by admitting that the implant wouldn’t necessarily cure her dizziness or tinnitus, nonetheless, she was still “hopeful” that it would be life-changing.
Holly finally got her cochlear implant in late 2023, and Happiest Official highlighted her daughter’s video on its TikTok account.
The captions explain that the footage was taken as the cochlear implant was “being activated.” When her hearing instantly improves, she is visibly “shocked.” And it was actually somewhat unsettling at first because everything, even her own voice, sounded “alienish.”
When her children spoke, Holly teared up. When her husband asked a question, the sound of his voice made her break down. She had to turn away from the camera to collect herself.
“It’s crazy,” she cried.
Shortly after, everyone started crying with her.
On her personal TikTok account, Holly shared that she’s still working through some issues and going through occupational therapy, but she’s happily moving through the steps.
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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