Zlata Kuzmina was born with no cochlear nerve in her left ear and only a small nerve on the right. Doctors in Ukraine, where she was born, did not realize she couldn't hear. Eventually, after moving to the U.S., her parents, Diana and Oleh, were referred to MUSC to test her hearing. MUSC ENT surgeon Ted McRackan, M.D., and audiologist Amy Noxon, AuD, determined that Zlata could benefit from a cochlear implant. After surgery Noxon activated the implant to see if Zlata could hear sounds.