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Live, Learn and Play Podcast: Hearing Mercy

When her daughter Mercy was struggling to hear one August day in 2018, Katie Clifton assumed it was another ear infection, something the five-year-old Mercy had experienced often. However, as the condition progressively got worse throughout the day, Clifton would soon learn that Mercy had sudden sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. She was deaf, and she would need cochlear implants as soon as possible.

Clifton and her husband knew it was different this time when Mercy was not responding to commands from her father.

"He had told her to pick up some toys and realized there was no response from her," Clifton said. "He ended up saying her name, yelling her name and clapping his hands while standing behind her, and she was not able to hear him at all."

After leaving an after-hours clinic with no answers, Mercy was referred to the audiology clinic at Arkansas Children’s, where Dr. Adam Johnson diagnosed her with sudden sensorineural hearing loss, and Dr. John Dornhoffer delivered the news that a cochlear implant would be necessary for Mercy to regain her hearing.

Tune in to our latest episode to hear Mercy’s story, one which she can now listen to thanks to the help of successful cochlear surgery.

The Audiology and Speech Pathology Department at Arkansas Children’s offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services for children of all ages. Your child’s doctor can contact the scheduling center to make a referral to Arkansas Children’s Hospital by calling 501-364-4000 or Arkansas Children’s Northwest by calling 479-725-6538.

Arkansas Children’s Live, Learn & Play Podcast is hosted by Rebecca Brockman and produced by Kevin Howard.

Subscribe to our podcast to hear stories of the people, places, and the programs of Arkansas Children’s. Our mission at Arkansas Children’s is to champion children by making them better today and healthier tomorrow. Throughout these podcasts we will hear the emotional stories of hope, hardship and healing from the patients and families of Arkansas Children’s. Tune into this latest Live, Learn & Play Podcast here.