The 25th anniversary of a life changing ear operation was marked by an emotional reunion between a surgeon and his former patient.
Retired consultant Kevin Gibbin met Helen Willis, 23, for only the second time on Thursday July 10 - 20 years after he had performed a cochlear implant operation on the profoundly deaf student.
The trailblazing treatment, which involves inserting electrodes into the inner ear canal to improve hearing, was pioneered at Nottingham University Hospitals.
Mr Gibbin said: "The opportunity to meet Helen today, has been exciting and very rewarding.
"Although it is rather challenging to remember former patients especially when they were so small when you treated them and they are now adults."
The cochlear implant programme was set-up in 1989 and pioneered by Professor Gerry O'Donoghue.
Since then service has provided more than 1,6000 cochlear implant operations in that time.
Mr Gibbin said: "A lot of people are involved in the process and there is a hug team of people.
"We don't just do the operation and then cast them out, there are speech and language therapists and annual check-ups.
"It is a big team effort."
The special anniversary reunion took place at Ropewalk House, in The Ropewalk, last night, with fellow former patients Toby Carver, 20, and Bethan Jordan, 28, joining Helen.
Helen was the fifty-first patient to receive the implant in and is now study a masters degree in neuro-science at Oxford University.
She said: "The implant has completely changed my life.
"I caught meningitis when I was just 19-months-old and it made me deaf.
"My memories from before the operation are almost non-existent because I was so young and also because I didn't have hearing which is a massive part of building memories.
"The implant gave me my voice and gave me the tools to achieve my potential.
"I cannot thanks Mr Gibbin and the hospital enough, it is quite emotional being here."
The three former patients have all been winners of the prestigious Cochlear Graeme Clark Scholarship cash prize which funds, or part funds, students' further of higher education.
Tracey Twomey, Consultant Clinical Scientist and Head of Service at the Nottingham Auditory Implant Programme, said she was thrilled that young implant users were helping staff celebrate 25 years of cochlear implant treatment at the Trust.
She said: "Cochlear implantation treatment can be life-changing. This treatment can greatly improve the quality of life for profoundly deaf people of all ages, including those with the most severe learning difficulties. Whilst take-up amongst children is good, we know that there are many adults who could benefit from this treatment and we encourage them to come forward.
"Beyond the hospital, our service works with children, their families and local professionals in their own communities to help them get the support they need to get the best outcome from their treatment. The Trust has been delivering a cochlear implant service for a quarter of a century now and it's important to thank past and present staff for working hard and making the programme a success."
Have you had a life-changing operation? Get in touch: newsdesk@nottinghampost.com
