Payton hears again
"When the doctors told us she needed cochlear implants, we had hope, but knew it would be a long way to go before she could start hearing us again,"
The mother of two-year-old Payton Peters, Ms Michelle Van Zyl, has thanked members of the public for helping in her daughter’s journey to regaining her hearing.
Payton was diagnosed with severe bilateral hearing loss in February last year, after suffering a respiratory infection.
She attends school in Bedfordview.
Ms Van Zyl said after the diagnosis, her and her husband were heartbroken.
“When the doctors told us she needed cochlear implants, we had hope, but knew it would be a long way to go before she could start hearing us again,” she said.
Ms Van Zyl added that because her medical aid would not cover any of the medical costs that came with the operation, her family launched a number of fundraising projects.
“We needed to raise more than R750 000 for the surgery, R118 000 for the external sound processors and about R89 000 for speech therapy. We are so grateful for all the continuous support we have been receiving. We have been truly blessed,” said MsVan Zyl.
Some of the fundraising projects included, among others, an auction, a raffle, a golf day and a high tea event.
August 18 saw one of Payton’s external sound processors being switched on.
Ms Van Zyl told the NEWS that her daughter has adjusted to the device and although she still has to learn to understand what she is hearing, she is well on her way to developing normal speech and hearing
“She is yet to learn how to recognise and associate the sounds she hears because her sounds are electronic and transmitted by her external sound processors into the cochlear implants,” she said.
