1-22-2007

“The Young and the Restless” character Devon Hamilton, played by actor Bryton McClure, received a cochlear implant, an implanted medical device that functionally restored his hearing.

When a storyline of the daytime drama left Devon completely deaf, he was challenged to adjust to the sudden silence. Told by doctors that a cochlear implant was his only option to ever hear again, Devon knew the surgery was something he had to do.

“‘The Young and the Restless’ is sending a powerful message about cochlear implants and their ability to help maximize hearing potential,” said Jim Miller, president of Advanced Bionics Auditory Division, an innovator of technologies to treat deafness, and the donator of Devon’s cochlear implant device.

The storyline, including the surgery and activation of the cochlear implant, unfolded during episodes that aired in November and December.

“The Young and the Restless” airs weekdays on CBS.

[SOURCE: Advanced Bionics, November 2006]