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Music to deaf girl
A four-year-old girl from Delft, on the outskirts of Cape Town, received an early Christmas gift after undergoing a life-changing operation yesterday.
Inako Kom received a cochlear implant after falling victim to a mugging in August when a man snatched her hearing aids from her ears while she was walking with her mother.
“He probably thought they were a music listening device, plunging the severely hearing impaired child into a world of total silence. Inako immediately became withdrawn and started isolating herself,” said Christien Coetzee Klingler, chairperson of the Carel du Toit Centre for Hearing Impaired Children’s school governing body.
“Inako was born with normal hearing which has deteriorated over time. Within the last year, her hearing has deteriorated further and she now has a profound hearing loss in the left ear and a severe hearing loss in the right ear,” Coetzee Klingler said.
“Because Inako comes from a disadvantaged background, her family could not afford insurance for her hearing aids,” she said.
South Africans opened their hearts and wallets to the little girl after hearing of her ordeal, making the R220000 operation possible.
The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin.
“We were very nervous about the operation, but also tremendously excited. It is wonderful that my child’s life will take a new course and all because of people’s goodwill,” said Inako’s mother, Ntombi.
Carel du Toit Centre for Hearing Impaired Children principal, Ruth Bourne, said the primary signs that the procedure was a success would be in Kom’s behaviour.
“Although they may not be able to process the new sounds that they are hearing, there will be a drastic change in the child’s behaviour. They become more responsive, alert, outgoing and much happier,” she said.
Statistics from the cochlear implant unit at Tygerberg Hospital show that 40% of children cannot receive implants due to the lack of funding.
“If deafness is diagnosed early, then children can learn to speak normally, attend a mainstream school and reach their full potential,” Coetzee Klingler said.
Parents who think their child might be deaf and would like advice, can contact the centre on 0219385303 or go to Welcome to Carel du Toit
A four-year-old girl from Delft, on the outskirts of Cape Town, received an early Christmas gift after undergoing a life-changing operation yesterday.
Inako Kom received a cochlear implant after falling victim to a mugging in August when a man snatched her hearing aids from her ears while she was walking with her mother.
“He probably thought they were a music listening device, plunging the severely hearing impaired child into a world of total silence. Inako immediately became withdrawn and started isolating herself,” said Christien Coetzee Klingler, chairperson of the Carel du Toit Centre for Hearing Impaired Children’s school governing body.
“Inako was born with normal hearing which has deteriorated over time. Within the last year, her hearing has deteriorated further and she now has a profound hearing loss in the left ear and a severe hearing loss in the right ear,” Coetzee Klingler said.
“Because Inako comes from a disadvantaged background, her family could not afford insurance for her hearing aids,” she said.
South Africans opened their hearts and wallets to the little girl after hearing of her ordeal, making the R220000 operation possible.
The implant consists of an external portion that sits behind the ear and a second portion that is surgically placed under the skin.
“We were very nervous about the operation, but also tremendously excited. It is wonderful that my child’s life will take a new course and all because of people’s goodwill,” said Inako’s mother, Ntombi.
Carel du Toit Centre for Hearing Impaired Children principal, Ruth Bourne, said the primary signs that the procedure was a success would be in Kom’s behaviour.
“Although they may not be able to process the new sounds that they are hearing, there will be a drastic change in the child’s behaviour. They become more responsive, alert, outgoing and much happier,” she said.
Statistics from the cochlear implant unit at Tygerberg Hospital show that 40% of children cannot receive implants due to the lack of funding.
“If deafness is diagnosed early, then children can learn to speak normally, attend a mainstream school and reach their full potential,” Coetzee Klingler said.
Parents who think their child might be deaf and would like advice, can contact the centre on 0219385303 or go to Welcome to Carel du Toit