Feb. 13, 2001--
A five-year-old boy from Russia grinned and laughed today when technicians turned on a cochlear implant, allowing him to clearly hear sounds and voices for the first time.
Science Specialist Ed Yeates reports.
There's no question how excited five-year-old Kody Stott is at this moment - a moment of clear sounds after audiologists at Primary Children's Medical Center turned on his cochlear implant.
Doctors at the University of Utah Hospital implanted the device last month - now its up to Kody with help from his parents and teachers to learn how to use the device. For Kody, it's grins and laughs. For Mom, the happiness is in her eyes.
MICHAEL PAGE, AUDIOLOGIST, PCMC: "WE'LL START FROM HERE GOING FORWARD. LOTS OF THERAPY AND LOTS OF WORK AND IT'S A BIG DEAL ON HIS PART AND ON HIS PARENT'S PART. IT'S A HUGE COMMITMENT."
STACEY STOTT, KODY'S MOM: "WITH HIS COCHLEAR IMPLANT, HE'LL REALLY BE ABLE TO TAKE OFF AND LOTS OF WORK AHEAD -TEACHING HIM HOW TO SPEAK AND TO HEAR."
Stacey and Stephen Stott adopted Kody from an orphanage in Russia. At the time, the child was a medical discard because the overburdened center didn't have enough money to take care of kids with medical needs. In fact, the Russians tried to persuade the Stotts to take one of the many healthy children.
STEPHEN STOFF, KODY'S DAD: "THERE IS JUST NO WAY YOU COULD LEAVE HIM THERE. I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE ON A PERSON'S CONSCIENCE THE REST OF OUR LIVES. I MEAN, WHO ELSE DID HE HAVE IN THE WORLD?"
Kody was so weak the Stott's had to prop him up with pillows to take his first picture. But look at him now. He couldn't walk then, but surgery here has changed all that. And, with the cochlear implant? Kody says it all!
Kody: "THANK YOU."
Thank you Kody. Ed Yeates, Eyewitness News, Primary Children's Hospital.
The Stott's live in Kanosh. They adopted Kody in Russia in 1996.
