For the first 13 months of his life, Blake was profoundly deaf. Now, he is one of about 100,000 people in the world who has been fitted with a cochlear implant - an electronic device that stimulates the brain to receive and interpret sound.

The change was immediate, Blake's mother Melissa recalls.

"As soon as he got it you could tell he could hear voices. He was reacting to new noises," she recalled.

Since the operation, Blake has worn a small magnetized headpiece - about the size of a toonie - just above his right ear. Wires run from the headpiece down to the implant's processing unit, which is nestled in a harness that Blake wears throughout the day. Inside his head is the implant, with even smaller wires that connect to his inner ear and stimulate his nerve endings.

Fortunately for the family, the initial surgery and the implant device itself was covered by provincial health care coverage. However, the ongoing costs of replacing the wires, headpieces and other parts of the implant aren't covered this way, and it isn't covered under the family's insurance plan either, Melissa said.

Each piece costs about $50 to replace, and with Blake growing, the family has had to replace each piece several times.

And there's another big cost on the horizon in the form of a new external processor for Blake. The one Blake has now is like a walkman - the wires run down to the processor which sits in a harness. The new processor is more like a hearing aid - it would attach to the headpiece near his ear, removing the need for a long wire or harness.

"It would be a little less weight (for him) to carry around," Melissa said.

Most people in need of a cochlear implant receive the hearing-aid type of implant, but in Blake's case, it was determined he was too young at the time of his surgery to get that kind. Now, with Blake growing older and moving around more, it only makes sense to get the new processor.

The only catch is the new processor carries a price tag of between $6,000 and $8,000 (US) - pretty big money for a young family. Along with young Blake, Melissa, a nurse at the Cornwall Community Hospital, and Jason, a truck driver, also have a young daughter, Chloe.

Melissa said they hoped to save up over the next couple of years in order to get the new piece of equipment.

That's where Dunlap and his Cornwall-based wrestling promotion enter the picture.

Dunlap was looking to reach out to the community with a fundraiser when his fianc‚e Lori, a cousin of Melissa's, mentioned Blake's story.

For Dunlap, it was a no-brainer, and he set out to organize a fundraiser for the Cornwall boy. Blake became known as the CGPW's "newest friend."

"The cost is totally phenomenal to buy one of those (processors)," he said.

The fundraiser will take place on Sunday at Broadview Park (beside St. Theresa's church on Thirteenth Street) from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be a barbecue, games, face painting, a reptile show and other activities. WWF legend and CGPW Heavyweight champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine will be on hand to sign autographs and meet fans. Admission is free, and all of the funds raised will be donated to the Russells to help with the cost of the new processor.

For the Russells, the news was quite the surprise. Despite being in the works for some time, they only found out about the fundraiser a couple of weeks ago.

"It will be a really big help. You see all these fundraisers (happening) but you never expect it to happen to you," said Melissa.

By Kevin Lajoie
http://www.standard-freeholder.com/webapp/sitepages/content.asp?contentid=666106&catname=Local%20News&classif=