Parents from Angola move to CPT to give child a chance to hear but cochlear implants cost R500k

Lester Kiewit speaks to Suryn Lombaard, Chief Audiologist at Tygerberg Hospital.

The mission of Professor James Loock, a healthcare practitioner specialising as an Ear, Nose, and Throat Surgeon (ENT) is to insert cochlear implants for those in need.

One of Loock's current patients with a remarkable story is a young girl named Alice de Silver.

De Silver was just a year old old when she suffered from meningitis, and ear ache at three months which left her completely deaf in both ears, explains Loock.

She needs an operation to repair her eardrums and a cochlear implant but the biggest challenge is financial as the operation would cost a total of R500,000.

The operation will help De Silver develop language and speech, without it, 'she would have to stay mute and learn sign language to communicate.'

Her parents did some research to find Loock and his team, sold their home in Luanda, Angola to bring their daughter and her mom to South Africa while her dad works to keep their family going financially. 

De Silver and her mom moved to Cape Town to give the little girl the medical help she needs for a chance to experience life with hearing. 

This procedure costs a lot because 'it's an absolute miracle because it can restore the sense of hearing but it is incredibly complex and miniscule, made by hand and imported - the device itself costs R300,000 and by the time you add hospitalisation, anesthetic fees and implantation costs - you're looking at about half a million Rand,' explains Loock. 

To help this family, Suryn Lombaard, Chief Audiologist at Tygerberg Hospital from HearUs, a non-profit organisation in the Western Cape, says they can help.

The organisation financially supports disadvantaged individuals with severe-to-profound hearing loss to afford a cochlear implant and maintain them lifelong in order to realise their full potential in the hearing world while providing support to the hearing impaired and their families.

The organisation was established more than 30 years ago and have so far assisted with over 1000 cochlear implants.

Tygerberg Hospital has a fund where 20 South Africans can benefit from state-provided cochlear implants every year.

De Silver is a special case for the organisation and hospital to consider because she is not South African and cannot be a beneficiary of one of the state-provided cochlear implants, explains Loock.

Hence, public donations is highly appreciated.

So, if you feel inclined to help, donate on the HearUs website and put  'Alice' as the reference.