October 05, 2023 • bachelor insider
Abigail Heringer Shares 4 Things She’s Learned Since Getting Her Cochlear Implant
Getting candid.
Bachelor Nation fans first met Abigail Heringer on Season 25 of “The Bachelor,” and she went on to find love with Noah Erb on Season 7 of “Bachelor in Paradise.”
During her time on the Bachelor Nation shows, Abigail opened up about her hearing loss and how she wears a cochlear implant.
Now, Abi is discussing more about her cochlear implants and some of the things she’s learned since getting them 26 years ago.
She shared four things she has learned in a new video on her Instagram page, starting with, “Technology is amazing. I still have to wrap my head around the fact that this processor allows me to go from not hearing anything to being able to hear the world around me. It’s also crazy to see how far these processors have come.”
In the video, Abi showed her first processor she had from when she was 2 years old and how much bigger it was and how she had to wear a fanny pack that held the processor with a cord that ran to her ear.
Then she showed her current processor and how small it is and how the newer ones are even smaller.
For the second thing she learned, Abigail said, “It is so important to have a strong support system and to lean into your resources that are available to you. Cochlear.com is a great place to start. They have blogs, you can connect other families that have hearing loss, and they also have information for ongoing support.”
She also shared that her social media pages have resources like her deaf Q&A highlight and “Hear Me Out” series for anyone who wants to feel less alone.
The third point the Bachelor Nation star shared is, “Some people will have opinions on what they think is best for you and some will be stronger than others. Hearing loss is so unique and different for every single person. Only you and your family know the best solution for your situation.”
And for her fourth and final point, Abigail shared that she’s learned to love and embrace being different.
She said, “It is more than okay to be different and to wear something that makes you stand out. The biggest step towards inclusivity is normalizing hearing loss, and there’s no better way to do that and raise awareness than by showing off your cochlear implant.”
Abigail shared that she gets so excited and inspired when she sees other creators online or people in real life showing off their cochlear implants.
We know Abi sharing her story continues to help so many others, so check out her page for more information and resources!