Latest News — HEAR US
Overcoming TB and deafness
Doofheid kry my nie onder nie- Rentia Meyer, 15
‘Doofheid hoef jou nie onder te kry nie ’
Suzaan P otgieter
’NDowe leerling aan die Hoër Meisieskool Bloemhof in Stellenbosch het pas teruggekeer van Amerika nadat sy die Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, toegespreek het.
“Dit was ’n fantastiese ervaring en só lekker om my storie met ander te kan deel,” vertel Rentia-Marié Meyer (15).
Sy het mense by dié universiteit se departement oudiologie en spraakstudie toegespreek oor haar ervaring met bioniese ore.
“Ek wil vir die mense meer oor die dowewêreld en ons kultuur vertel, want ons almal is nie dieselfde nie. Ek kan byvoorbeeld hoor en glad nie ge- baretaal praat nie, terwyl daar weer ander is wat net deur middel van gebaretaal kan kommunikeer. Ons kulture verskil baie en nie almal verstaan dit nie.”
Dokters het op sewe maande besef Rentia is doof. Daarna het sy net voor haar tweede verjaardag haar eerste kogleêre inplanting gekry. Met dié inplanting word vibrasies omgeskakel in elektriese impulse wat na haar brein gestuur word en haar só in staat stel om te hoor.
“Dit was regtig nie maklik nie,” sê sy. “Ek moes baie hard werk, want ek kon aanvanklik glad nie praat nie. Terwyl die ander kinders in die park gespeel het, moes ek woorde en klanke leer.”
Haar brein moes ook leer hoe om die vibrasies in klanke oor te sit. Sy “hoor” immers met haar brein en nie met haar ore nie.
Danksy baie ondersteuning van haar familie en harde werk, kon sy egter sonder probleme skool toe gaan.
“Hoe ouer ek word, raak dit egter moeiliker. Mense dink ek het minder hulp en ondersteuning nodig omdat ek nou groot is,” sê Rentia.
“Maar ek weet ek is verskriklik bevoorreg.
“Ek droom daarvan o meendag’ n motiveringspreker te word om vir mense te leer dat niks, nie eens doofheid, jou kan onderkry nie.”
Ek w eet ek is verskriklik be voorreg.
2 children will get sponsored cochlear implants following illnesses
We all realize how special our senses are and value how Hearing or the lack thereof influences our lives. 2 young children, both born with normal hearing lost their hearing though illness. Thankfully through the Tygerberg Hospital Stellenbosch Cochlear Implant Unit's hard work and dedication to their patients as well as the generous Bidvest Hear for Life Trust, these 2 special kids will soon hear again!
listen to these 2 clips on CapeTalk and KFM:
Aiden at University
One of our Support group members, Aiden Whitehead, shares more of his experience of starting University. Click on the link below to read more of his amazing story.
Leah - Bidvest Hear For Life
Little Faye Allwood, 8 months old, has just had placement of simultaneous bilateral implants in a 5 hour procedure at Vergelegen Mediclinic on the 14th of March 2016, Somerset West, South Africa. Faye was born with profound sensori-neural hearing loss, that was picked up at birth through routine screening. Her older sister, Kate, 7, also has bilateral cochlear implants done at 6 and 11 months of age. Kate's hearing problem was also picked up at birth through routine hearing screening. Both girls can count themselves as part of the lucky few getting early screening, early diagnosis and appropriate referral and early intervention. Kate has attended mainstream schools since the age of 2, and is really excited for the opportunity to help her sister learn to talk and aquire language.
Cape baby is one of the youngest in the world to get life-changing surgery.