That’s because Lane was born with severe hearing loss, having very small eardrums and ear canals in both ears.

Despite having seven surgeries, hearing was a constant battle.

Until the Baha – short for bone anchored hearing aid. A titanium post in Lane’s skull enhances the natural ability of bone to transmit sound vibrations, bypassing the ear and ear canal. A sound processor attached to the post transmits sound vibrations to the titanium implant, which helps stimulate the nerve fibers of the inner ear, allowing him to hear.

"Sound is just vibration," Lane explained, detaching the sound processor from behind his left ear to display a tiny metal piece embedded in his head. "It’s vibrating the sound to the nerve. When I first turned it on, it’s like wow – it’s like super hearing. It’s more clear than the regular hearing aid."

Lane, 33, was in third grade before anyone discovered he was deaf.

"When I did the hearing test through school, they figured out I was looking at them and they went like this (to press the button) and I raised my hand," Lane said. "They figured I was reading lips in class."

During his surgeries, doctors attempted different methods of correction, including enlarging his ear canals. But doing so caused more problems for Lane, according to Dr. Daniel Schumaier, of Schumaier and Associates in Johnson City.

"Unfortunately, the surgery, which wasn’t done in this area, left him with drainage from the ears and it became impossible for him to wear a hearing aid successfully," Schumaier said.

TennCare paid for the $10,000 cost of Lane’s surgery and the Baha. Lane is one of the few people in the area with a Baha, Schumaier said.

If he turns the processor up to its highest setting, Lane can hear more than he ever expected. In fact, he often removes the processor to block out the extra sounds.

"The world’s too noisy. Everything sounds different," he said. "How do you put up with all the noise outside?"

Lane obtained his associate’s degree in electronic engineering from Northeast State Community College in 1998, but he plans to return to school this fall. He is not sure exactly what he will study, but he said he would like to go into a field that would allow him to help test and design hearing aids.

"Who best to try it out than the person who has the problem?" he said.

By Jennifer Wig