Yes, this is for real. I'm deaf and I personally know hundred of deaf people that shun implant. Why? It is simply who we are. We have our community, culture, and language. We are not broken. We are doing fine on our own. CI (Cochlea Implant) is not solution. What people NEED is more deaf awareness. CI people will be always torn between both worlds. Many deaf people look down on them and hearing people simply don't care and don't feel like investing their energy to try to communicate. CI doesn't restore hearing.

I personally find it sad that many people including my love was implanted when they were kids and have no control over their BODY choice. When they grew up, they actually hate CI. They refuse to put it on. They are angry that they couldn't skydive or underwater diving. They can't even go in MRI if something's wrong. Some of them left their family. It costs roughly ten grand to get it removed. Thanks god for 3-D printer because when doctors install CI, they have to remove part of the bone.

It wasn't parent fault either. It's doctors, mostly. When the kid is deaf, they immediately bring up CI. Parents think their deaf kid is lost. That's why there needs to be more awareness.

Example: few years ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill where a deaf kid is born, doctors, by the law, must tell all options including deaf school, mainstream with deaf programs, hearing aids and CI. The result is that most of these parent choose deaf school because it's frightening to put a technology in your cochlea where you have a chance to have brain damage, it can be limiting, and again, it doesn't restore hearing.

Sorry, English is my second language and I am trying to make it clear to understand. Frankly I could go on longer.

TDLR; Cochlea Implant is ruining deaf community and their culture and ideology.