Widja's Gear to Hear

Please help us to make this possible.
Only £350 away from giving Widja the gift of hearing. 2nd implant has been fitted but cost was more than expected and with turn on booked for next week help is needed!!!!

Widja was born with a congenital bilateral sensorineural deafness which caused severe hearing loss in both her ears. On the 29th of September 2015, just after her 2nd birthday, she received a cochlear implant in her right (R) ear. The switch on was on the 12th of October 2015. The operation was a great success and she shows huge response to all sounds and even attempts a few words already. One of the most precious moments was when she could bang away on the piano and totally relish in the effects the sound had on her, trying to sing along.

The members of the University of Pretoria Cochlear Implant Unit have re-evaluated her and concluded that she is a suitable candidate for a bilateral cochlear implant. With this she will be able to communicate and function normally in background noise. She will also be able to locate sounds which is impossible with only one hearing ear.

Bilateral hearing is EXTREMELY important for Speech discrimination in background noise and for sound localisation. This improves hearing in everyday life and therefor enhances the performance in the school and later working environment. It will better Widja’s chances tremendously of joining and succeeding in mainstream education in the future.

Thanks to family, friends and even people who don't know Widja and a small medical aid plan it seems like it would be possible for her to receive the second implant early May just before her fourth birthday. We already staryed gathering the funds for the second implant and are only about £3,500 short.

She needs this just as urgently as the first to be able to perform and develop her language and speech fully. The second implant will cost up to £20,000 including additional fees associated with the pre- and post surgery care.