Newsletter Articles:
• BIG STEPS ushers in the new year with even bigger goals
• It takes leaders to make a difference and inspire others
• CHEO sets the standard in audiology
• Costco Wholesale Delivers the Goods
• Speaking out and stepping up for children's mental health research
CHEO sets the standard in audiology
Every week for the past three years the Borer family has made an hour long trek from their home in Lunenberg, near Cornwall, to CHEO with their two young children, Marc and Jenna.
Marc, 5, and Jenna, 3, are both hearing impaired. If not for the cochlear implants CHEO surgically implanted in both of the children's ear, they "couldn't hear a jet engine if they were standing right next to it," says their father, Sgt. James Borer.
The BIG STEPS campaign is committed to raising $10 million for equipment at CHEO – this includes cochlear implants.
Marc passed an infant hearing test administered at birth, but as his father explains, the test measures the individual components of hearing, not the ability to hear. With Marc those components all work individually, they just don't work together properly.
"As he got older, we realized he wasn't responding to voices, and that he slept through everything," says his mother, Julie. When he was two years old, CHEO administered another test.
"They came back with a box of Kleenex and told us that Marc is profoundly hearing impaired," Julie says. "We were told he was a candidate for a cochlear implant that would allow him to hear and speak. I told them there was no question in our minds. I wanted to hear him say, ‘Mommy, I love you.'"
A few days later Jenna, who was three weeks old at the time, was given the same diagnosis as Marc: auditory neuropathy. Surgery would have to wait until she was a year old.
"For two years I sang and talked and read Marc stories, thinking he could hear me. With Jenna, we didn't really talk to her because we knew she couldn't hear. Sometimes I sang to make myself feel better, but it actually made me feel worse," says Julie. "When someone tells you your child can't hear, there are a million things you realize they can't hear or do that you'd normally take for granted."
In August 2006 Marc had his first cochlear implant surgery. It took five weeks for the incision to heal, before the outside part could be added. Julie and James were on pins and needles hoping that the implant would be a success. On October 3, Marc was "switched on."
"That was the most anticipated day of my life," says Julie, her eyes shining. "It's an amazing thing to hear your child speak, to hear them say ‘I love you.' It's magical."
Jenna had her first surgery the following April, and then both children received second implants later on.
"They both cried and cried when they were switched on, they were terrified at first because they didn't know what the sound was," says Julie. It took many months of adapting, but today they are active, healthy and happy children, who run, play and shout just like any other. They are confident and carefree. There are some limitations though; they don't wear their implants at night while they're sleeping, or while swimming or in water. They also can't use plastic slides with the implants on because of the static.
Not all children are candidates for cochlear implants, but for profoundly deaf children it is the only real option to learn how to hear and speak. However, as James and Julie are quick to point out, the Ontario government will only fund one implant per child. CHEO is a leader in this field, covering the cost of a second implant for as many children as it can afford. This means about 10 to 15 implants per year, which unfortunately means there's a waiting list.
"The benefits our kids have had from bilateral implants aren't guaranteed through the system. CHEO takes money out of its budget to do that," says James. "CHEO is very proactive with trying to better the opportunities for deaf children. This kind of care doesn't exist outside of CHEO, in other parts of the province. CHEO is a leader in this field." It would have cost the Borer's $50,000 per child for each second implant.
They have high praise for CHEO's audiology department, which includes the implant centre, auditory verbal therapist, speech language pathologist and audiologist. "It's all integrated here. It's not like that at other centres, but at CHEO everything is coordinated for the best possible outcome for the children," James says.
"When I look at CHEO, it's not just the kids coming to see a doctor. CHEO's family centered care is the very approach that helps the entire family," James says.
"I see the staff at CHEO as our family," Julie says. "They don't see their job as a job. I truly believe they love my kids and want the best for them. Our children will lead a full and normal life because of the phenomenal care and support we have received at CHEO. We have a lifetime connection to CHEO that will continue for generations because of the difference it has made for our family.
To date, the BIG STEPS campaign has been able to fund a number of cochlear implants. The vision is that someday there won't be a waiting list for children to receive these life-transforming devices.