Miss-Delectable
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http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3724979a11,00.html
When Hamilton man Brian King was trying to belt out a Metallica song this week, his son James laughed, and Brian knew his baby boy was getting better.
James, in desperate need of an operation so he could learn to speak, finally got it three weeks ago after the Health Ministry came up with extra one-off funding.
The Waikato Times reported one-year-old James' plight in March as his family battled to get him a $50,000 cochlea implant, even though he was diagnosed as deaf when he was just two days old.
Cochlea implants, which mimic the function of the inner ear, are best put in deaf babies within six to nine months, but a lack of government funding meant James wouldn't be eligible until some time in the 2006-07 year, starting this month.
The ministry has since changed its mind and allocated four immediate extra operations for children. James, now 16 months old, is recovering well from the four-hour operation in Auckland.
While not within the ideal time period, James' implant came before his second birthday, which is seen as vital.
"We are happy as Larry," Mr King said. "If it (the funding) hadn't come through early we would have been just putting him on the waiting list now."
Mr King said to see James react to sounds was amazing.
"I get into Metallica and he had his implant on in the car while it was playing and he was laughing quite loudly every time I sang."
Mr King and his wife, Robyn, brought James back to Hamilton on Tuesday after a trip to Auckland's Greenlane Hospital where tests confirmed he was now able to hear. They said the implant's volume would slowly be turned up over three to six months and they would help James through a therapy programme which should see him able to speak normally by the time he went to school.
The Kings also visited Angela and Bill Thompson, of Corogate Cafe at Waitakaruru near Thames, who raised about $1100 for James after the Waikato Times published his story.
Mrs King said the funds would help pay transport costs for more treatment and a medic alert bracelet.
Mrs King said having James beginning to hear was lovely but they were concerned there were still not enough funding for cochlea implants.
"I'm happy, but I don't want to see other families going through the stress," she said.
Forty adults are on the implant waiting list.
When Hamilton man Brian King was trying to belt out a Metallica song this week, his son James laughed, and Brian knew his baby boy was getting better.
James, in desperate need of an operation so he could learn to speak, finally got it three weeks ago after the Health Ministry came up with extra one-off funding.
The Waikato Times reported one-year-old James' plight in March as his family battled to get him a $50,000 cochlea implant, even though he was diagnosed as deaf when he was just two days old.
Cochlea implants, which mimic the function of the inner ear, are best put in deaf babies within six to nine months, but a lack of government funding meant James wouldn't be eligible until some time in the 2006-07 year, starting this month.
The ministry has since changed its mind and allocated four immediate extra operations for children. James, now 16 months old, is recovering well from the four-hour operation in Auckland.
While not within the ideal time period, James' implant came before his second birthday, which is seen as vital.
"We are happy as Larry," Mr King said. "If it (the funding) hadn't come through early we would have been just putting him on the waiting list now."
Mr King said to see James react to sounds was amazing.
"I get into Metallica and he had his implant on in the car while it was playing and he was laughing quite loudly every time I sang."
Mr King and his wife, Robyn, brought James back to Hamilton on Tuesday after a trip to Auckland's Greenlane Hospital where tests confirmed he was now able to hear. They said the implant's volume would slowly be turned up over three to six months and they would help James through a therapy programme which should see him able to speak normally by the time he went to school.
The Kings also visited Angela and Bill Thompson, of Corogate Cafe at Waitakaruru near Thames, who raised about $1100 for James after the Waikato Times published his story.
Mrs King said the funds would help pay transport costs for more treatment and a medic alert bracelet.
Mrs King said having James beginning to hear was lovely but they were concerned there were still not enough funding for cochlea implants.
"I'm happy, but I don't want to see other families going through the stress," she said.
Forty adults are on the implant waiting list.