Cochlear implants on 2 girls with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss successful
The successful installation of cochlear implants are the best gifts for (from left) Renee, Ngu, Eunice and Priscilla.
KUCHING: Three-year-olds Renee Ngien and Eunice Renalto, who have bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss, have received their best ever Christmas gifts – cochlear implants.
With the implants, they will now be able to hear.
Renee had her operation on Monday, while Eunice went through hers yesterday.
According to their surgeon, Dr Tang Ing Ping, both surgeries were successful, and both girls would now be able to embark on the exciting journey of recognising sounds and learning speech.
“They will need aggressive speech and audio rehabilitation to hear and speak,” said Dr Tang, an Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist.
When met at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) yesterday, Renee had just woken up from a nap, while Eunice, who had just emerged from the operating theatre, was clinging to her mother, Priscilla Baginda, 29.
Despite the effects of anaesthetic, Eunice seemed determined to stay awake and refused to give in to sleep after seeing Renee getting ready to go back to Sibu.
Priscilla and Helen Ngu (Renee’s mother) both looked very contented and relieved.
“This is the best Christmas gift not only for Renee and Eunice, but also for us, the parents.
“We just can’t describe how happy and grateful we are to all those who have helped make this possible – the minister (Resource Planning and Environment Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan), KTS boss (managing director Dato Henry Lau), Dr Tang and Dr Toh (Teck Hock, Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu secretary) and The Borneo Post.
“Eunice and Renee would not have this life-changing opportunity if not for these people. We just don’t know what to say apart from ‘thank you’ to all quarters,” said both mothers.
Despite being jubilant, they both acknowledged that the road ahead is long in helping their children recognise sounds and to learn to talk.
Eunice was born with hearing disability while Renee lost her hearing when she was 18 months old to bouts of fever.
Both girls have the chance to get cochlear implants after RM70,000 was handed to the Association for Children with Special Needs Sibu for the operations.
Awang Tengah footed half of the bill, and his donation was matched by Lau, who handed over a cheque for RM35,000 during a ceremony at Crown Towers last October.
The donation was timely as Eunice and Renee have been racing against time. The earlier they get the implants the higher the chances for them to develop their speaking abilities and learn like normal children.
Two more children in Sibu and three more each in Miri and Kuching are on the waiting list for cochlear implants.
Each cochlear implant costs RM70,000, and Dr Tang was able to negotiate for a buy-one-free-one deal. In Eunice and Renee case, SGH bore other costs incurred during the surgery.