Kevin Hotaling is a sophomore at Stonehill College who got his Ponto Plus on October 13, 2014. When we saw Kevin’s video, we just had to meet him. We knew you’d feel the same.

So, here’s Kevin to tell you a bit of his story:

I originally found out about Ponto through one of my mother’s coworkers. She didn’t have the Ponto, but she had a very similar bone anchored hearing aid procedure done, and she’s had results that were nothing short of stellar. I was nervous originally. Although surgery was nothing new to me, the idea of someone drilling into my skull was very unsettling. In addition to that, I hadn’t heard of any people my age who had ever gotten the procedure done. I had only ever heard of adults and small children owning the system, never a teenager. I was given the opportunity to test the device using a headband, and immediately, I noticed a massive difference in my hearing quality.

I have a severe congenital hearing loss on my left side, and have since I was born. My right side is normal. Before getting my Ponto, I would naturally gravitate to people’s left sides so that I could hear them clearly, but inevitably, I would end up missing words, phrases, and sometimes even whole sentences. I’d say my loss is at its worst when I’m in a large, crowded space, like a school cafeteria, or an auditorium.

The date I had my Ponto turned on was October 13, 2014.

Before the Ponto, I only ever used over-the-ear hearing aids. They worked as well as they could have, but the sound quality always felt very mechanical. It was almost like I was listening to a radio station with just the slightest bit of static in the background. Plus, I’ve had a long history of ear infections, and so having something in my ear constantly collecting bacteria never did much good. I always had trouble with the tubing and the molding.

I could go on for hours about how much I love my Ponto system. There isn’t a thing I dislike about it. The sound quality is flooring. Everything sounds different in the most positive way. I no longer have to make sure that the person speaking to me is on my “good side,” because now, I don’t have a bad side!

The Streamer is so cool! When I work on papers, or study for tests, I can listen to music without having any kind of headphone or ear bud on or in my ear. It’s so easy to use, and its battery lasts surprisingly long! On the subject of batteries, the Ponto itself has an incredible battery life. I had my Ponto installed about two weeks ago now, and I’m still on the first battery. I haven’t needed to change it yet! And that’s with using the Streamer almost every day! With my old hearing aid, I’d be lucky to get four days out of a single battery. There’s not a single negative thing I can say about the Ponto system. It’s been an amazing experience. I feel like I can finally hear for the first time in my life. ​

Have questions for Kevin? Let us know in the comments section below. You can also meet Kevin on Facebook or Twitter. If you’d like to meet more Bone Anchored Hearing System users, join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Interested in getting your own Ponto Plus? Learn more here. Or, if you’d like to get in touch with Oticon Medical today click here.