On Sunday, October 11th, 2020 at 6:30 p.m. PST a short television program, sponsored by UCSF Health will air on KPIX-TV Channel 5. The program, “Catching His Breath” features Bradley Dell, a patient with the complex lung disease cystic fibrosis who also received a cochlear implant from the UCSF Douglas Grant Cochlear Implant Center.
Dell, who suffered hearing loss due to an antibiotic used to fight off bacterial infection, received a cochlear implant at the Cochlear Implant Center. The OHNS team, which included Jeffrey Sharon, MD, Colleen Polite, AuD, Kurt Kramer, MD, and Denaya Butler; worked together to provide the cochlear implant treatment to address Dell's hearing loss.
"I first met Bradley before his lung transplant, while he was struggling to breathe," explains Dr. Sharon. "Due to side effects from treatment for his cystic fibrosis, he had lost his hearing. This was incredibly isolating for him, at a difficult time when he needed to hear the support of his friends and family the most. We made plans to give Bradley cochlear implants, after his lung transplant, for anesthesia related reasons. Finally, we got the ok from the lung transplant team. Given uncertainties about whether he'd be healthy enough in the future to undergo another elective procedure, and his hearing loss, we decided to implant both sides at once. The operation was a success, and Bradley has done exceptionally well with him implants, and his progress has been incredibly heartwarming to watch."
Dell’s story, along with the excellence of the clinical teams at UCSF Health shows our leadership in providing complex care to patients who need it the most.
The show will be available at ucsfhealth.org after it airs.
To watch a promo for this video, please look here.
