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Two sisters from Wake County, North Carolina, are among the first children in the United States to receive an innovative hearing implant known as the Bonebridge system. Kenzie and Lily Ferguson were born with narrow or closed ear canals, which made traditional hearing aids ineffective. The new implant, developed for individuals with similar conditions, works by transmitting sound vibrations through the skull bone directly to the inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear entirely.
Kenzie was the first child in the country to receive the implant through a clinical trial at UNC School of Medicine, followed by her younger sister Lily a few months later. Since the procedures, both sisters have seen strong academic improvement, performing at or above grade level, and have reported to have greater confidence and engagement in class. Their mother, a speech-language pathologist, showed optimism about the implant’s potential to help other children facing similar challenges. The county’s audiology team and clinicians at UNC hope that the success of the Bonebridge trial will expand access to similar hearing solutions nationwide.
Read the full article from ABC 11 here.
