It was mid-morning when a former New Jersey policeman found himself being dragged by his left arm through a window of a car down a narrow street. He was simply trying to ticket the driver; instead, he found himself fighting for his arm and his life.

This incident, along with a history of multiple ear infections, led to mixed hearing loss and severe damage to his ears. After five years of numerous surgeries in various hospitals across the country, Gilsenan, 63, now has an osseointegrated sound processor (bone anchored hearing aid or BAHA) in both ears and can finally hear again. He credits it all to JHBI.

“Dr. Green is a unique man. He is dedicated to people. He takes his time. His mannerism is so gentle, yet his knowledge is so massive,” Gilsenan said.

Gilsenan, of East Orange, NJ, was one of the first patients in Jacksonville to receive the BAHA treatment, which Gilsenan said seems to stop the effects of tinnitus. The BAHA system uses the body’s natural ability to conduct sound through bone. The BAHA sound processors are implanted through osseointegration, which is the process of the bone growing up to the implant surface (similar to a dental implant).

“I’ve never met a doctor who so greatly wanted to help people,” Gilsenan said. “He finds a way. I just know he’s going to take care of me because of the principles he carries.”

JHBI is pleased to offer the BAHA implant to treat hearing loss. Our professional staff is experienced in the medical and surgical treatment of auditory problems.