A great takeaway from this trip is the importance placed on family. There were numerous instances of family connections that we experienced. For example, our translator William, was the son of Morten, who founded the clinic. Our driver, ‘Marshmallow’, was the clinic receptionist Vanessa’s dad, and many patients came together as families.
One woman brought her elderly mother in, who we tested, and were able to fit with hearing aids. Then the next patient who came in was her aunt. Another Read More »
Exploring Family Connections In Brazil
A great takeaway from this trip is the importance placed on family. There were numerous instances of family connections that we experienced. For example, our translator William, was the son of Morten, who founded the clinic. Our driver, ‘Marshmallow’, was the clinic receptionist Vanessa’s dad, and many patients came together as families.
One woman brought her elderly mother in, who we tested, and were able to fit with hearing aids. Then the next patient who came in was her aunt. Another Read More »
Rildo is our Brazilian audiologist that we have the pleasure of working with at the Viva o Som clinic. He went through schooling in Manaus (the capital of Amazonas) at a University called Universidade Nilton Lins where he earned a 4 year degree in Fonoaudiologia, which is similar to a bachelor’s degree in Speech Language Pathology and Audiology. Rildo then completed a 2 year graduate program, specializing in audiology. He enjoys working with his patients, and since he is from the Amazon area he 
The other night we had the unique experience of observing a cochlear implant surgery. Oticon Medical donated four cochlear implants and ENT surgeons flew in from various parts of Brazil to perform all four surgeries in the same day! We were able to watch the last one. Mia and I each had our favorite moments that we talked about. I loved how all the doctors stayed calm and present when a light bulb stopped working and needed to be changed mid-way through, as well as the process the doctors went