In December 2025 I sat down with Gael Hannan of Hearing Health & Technology Matters for a long conversation about what it is actually like to live with a fully implanted cochlear implant. The interview reached a wide audience across Reddit, social media, and the broader hearing loss community. If you found this site after watching it, welcome.
This was my first interview filmed under a harsh video light I was not used to, and I spent a fair amount of it squinting into it. That is the honest reason this recap is going up months later. The conversation itself is worth sharing, so here it is, along with some context the interview did not have room for.
What Is the Acclaim Cochlear Implant?
The Acclaim is the world's first fully implanted cochlear implant, developed by Envoy Medical. Unlike traditional cochlear implants, which require an external sound processor worn behind the ear, the Acclaim sits entirely beneath the skin. There is nothing visible. Nothing to remove at night. Nothing to take off before swimming, sleeping, or playing contact sports. It uses the body's own ear anatomy to pick up sound rather than relying on an external microphone.
It is an investigational device. By federal law it is limited to investigational use until the FDA grants approval. The Mayo Clinic trial is the early feasibility study working to demonstrate the device's safety and efficacy.
What Gael Hannan and I Talked About
Gael and I covered the parts of this journey that do not make it into press releases:
- What activation was actually like, and what those first sounds were
- How adaptation worked, and why it went the way it did for me
- What changes day to day when the technology is simply gone from your awareness
- What it means to live with a hearing device that is completely invisible
The Acclaim is out of sight and out of mind. That turns out to be one of the most meaningful things about it.
Why This Interview Matters
I was Patient CI3. The third human ever to receive the device, and the first to hear with a fully implanted cochlear implant and no external amplification. Conversations like this one are how the trial reaches the people it was meant for: those living with severe to profound hearing loss who deserve to know this work is happening.
My thanks to Gael Hannan and the team at Hearing Health & Technology Matters for a thoughtful conversation.
Watch the Full Interview
The complete interview is available at Hearing Health & Technology Matters: https://hearinghealthmatters.org/thisweek/2025/acclaim-cochlear-implant-experience/
Continue the Story
This site documents the full journey, from the surgery at Mayo Clinic on November 4, 2022, through activation, adaptation, and daily life with an invisible cochlear implant. Start with the Journey, read the Answers page for common questions, or see the latest in News, including the recent letter from my surgeon, Dr. Colin Driscoll.
For more on the device itself, visit Envoy Medical: https://www.envoymedical.com/acclaim-cochlear-implant
If you are living with hearing loss, or you love someone who is, I want you to know there is hope. Follow along here for updates on the trial, the device, and what living with a fully implanted cochlear implant is really like.