Sounds of Love - Macy & Emma Howell
Donation protected
Summary: Josh & Jennifer Howell have two beautiful daughters. Macy and Emma (sisters) are both under 3 years old and profoundly deaf. They are in need of the Cochlear Implant which will give them the opportunity to hear and have a normal life in the hearing world.
Story: In August 2012, Macy was born with no complications. She was not born deaf but she has progressively lost her hearing and in October 2014, Macy (2 yrs old) was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf. After many months of testing, the results revealed that she is a good candidate for the Cochlear Implant. The testing did not point to any one reason or cause for Macy's being deaf, however the doctors stated it could be genetic. Being pregnant with Emma already they did not get the genetics testing and upon Emma's birth in April 2015, to everyones disbelief.......Emma was born profoundly deaf.
For Informational purposes: Cochlear implants detect external sound waves and translate them into signals that are relayed though tiny electrodes. These electrodes connect directly to auditory nerves, which in turn lead to the brain. They differ fundamentally from traditional hearing aids, which only amplify sound.
Dr. Hamid R. Djalilian, director of the Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at the UC Irvine Medical Center said, “There is a time window during which they can get an implant and learn to speak. From the ages of two to four, that ability diminishes a little bit. And by age nine, there is zero chance that they will learn to speak properly. So it’s really important that they get recognized and evaluated early.”
Fast forward to today....Macy is a normal 2 1/2 year old that loves playing and is full of life. She loves animals and playing Mommy with her baby dolls, but struggles to communicate. She often gets frustrated when trying to talk and get people to understand the jibberish, but is slowly learning sign language to assist her. Macy has been scheduled for her first implant surgery (there is one for each ear) in July 2015. Then if all goes well, the second one will be scheduled 6 months later due to healing time (as this is major surgery). Emma will begin her testing in May 2015 and her Cochlear implant surgery will be within the next 12 months.
The need for this fundraiser is due to the many doctor appointments for testing, the surgeries and the weekly therapy visits at Texas Childrens, along with the followup visits for years to come. They are a one income family, as the many doctor visits for Macy and Emma do not enable Mom to hold a full-time teaching job. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.
Tshirts on sale at: https://www.booster.com/macyandemma
Story: In August 2012, Macy was born with no complications. She was not born deaf but she has progressively lost her hearing and in October 2014, Macy (2 yrs old) was diagnosed as being profoundly deaf. After many months of testing, the results revealed that she is a good candidate for the Cochlear Implant. The testing did not point to any one reason or cause for Macy's being deaf, however the doctors stated it could be genetic. Being pregnant with Emma already they did not get the genetics testing and upon Emma's birth in April 2015, to everyones disbelief.......Emma was born profoundly deaf.
For Informational purposes: Cochlear implants detect external sound waves and translate them into signals that are relayed though tiny electrodes. These electrodes connect directly to auditory nerves, which in turn lead to the brain. They differ fundamentally from traditional hearing aids, which only amplify sound.
Dr. Hamid R. Djalilian, director of the Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery at the UC Irvine Medical Center said, “There is a time window during which they can get an implant and learn to speak. From the ages of two to four, that ability diminishes a little bit. And by age nine, there is zero chance that they will learn to speak properly. So it’s really important that they get recognized and evaluated early.”
Fast forward to today....Macy is a normal 2 1/2 year old that loves playing and is full of life. She loves animals and playing Mommy with her baby dolls, but struggles to communicate. She often gets frustrated when trying to talk and get people to understand the jibberish, but is slowly learning sign language to assist her. Macy has been scheduled for her first implant surgery (there is one for each ear) in July 2015. Then if all goes well, the second one will be scheduled 6 months later due to healing time (as this is major surgery). Emma will begin her testing in May 2015 and her Cochlear implant surgery will be within the next 12 months.
The need for this fundraiser is due to the many doctor appointments for testing, the surgeries and the weekly therapy visits at Texas Childrens, along with the followup visits for years to come. They are a one income family, as the many doctor visits for Macy and Emma do not enable Mom to hold a full-time teaching job. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.
Tshirts on sale at: https://www.booster.com/macyandemma
Organizer and beneficiary
Keri Dillard
Organizer
Beach City, TX
Jennifer Howell
Beneficiary