CTV News first met Ryan Duchoeny nearly 20 years ago.

He was a deaf boy, eager to get a cochlear implant - a tiny device installed in the skull which would allow Ryan to hear like most kids his age.

At the time, the technology was new, access was restricted, and the province's experts ruled that he didn't need the implant since he already communicated by sign language. 

It led to a lengthy court battle by his parents, who raised $50,000 and brought him to Vermont where he received the operation. 

It was a success, and for the first time in his life, Ryan could hear.

Today, Ryan is 27 - he says the implant allowed him to move out on his own, and live his own life.

“I feel sometimes nervous, new life, no more parents, my own place,” he explained. “So I meet new people obviously. New world, new life.” 

Following the operation, Ryan was able to integrate into the regular school system and became an accomplished basketball player. He later travelled to France to learn the art of pastry-making. 

He’s now employed by a large multinational, where he worked his way up from customer service to administration.

“I prefer talking to people all the time, otherwise it's boring,” Ryan said. “You don't talk to people. It's easier for me to talk to people.”

Fighting for change

Ryan has another reason to be happy: twenty years ago, the cochlear operation was out of reach for him – only available in Quebec City, for Quebecers. 

However, the province recently decided to start offering it beginning later this year, at both the MUHC and the CHUM.

“It made sense that the patients in Montreal should have access to the surgery at home, especially that we have two major university institutions here that has all the know-how, technology and expertise,” explained Dr. Nader Sadeghi, head of Otolaryngology at the MUHC. 

Sadeghi says the technology has greatly improved since Ryan received his implant.

One major difference is that children are no longer denied the operation just because they've mastered other ways of communicating.

As a matter of fact, implanted children not only develop the capacity to speak and to hear, they can develop the capacity to do things they could not imagine - such as singing.

Ryan’s father, who led the fight for better access to the cochlear implant, says the decision to make them available in Montreal was long overdue.

Ryan says he is glad, after two decades of discussion, that more children will have access to the procedure. 

“My father fought for this until 2019 to have the operation in Montreal – it’s not fair for the past,” he said.