
Hearing aid for 4yr old Tegan!!!
Donation protected
Hello... I am Rahni, Tegan's mom... She is 4 years old but will be 5 in August... Miss Tegan has gone to many doctors in the last year to try and figure out why she just cannot hear us. This last appointment consisted of Tegan getting sedated and doing a BAER test. The results were very hard to accept and swallow. She is completely deaf in her left ear and 40%-60% in her right ear... That being said she now has to wear a hearing aid in her right ear for the rest of her life, which will bring that ear to about 80%, that is where “normal” people hear at. But, my husband and I got a call today (4/28/2015) saying our insurance will not cover the cost of the hearing aid, there are some help from them such as $1,000 off but that still brings the cost of the hearing aid to $7,000. We do not have $7,000 just sitting around. We do not get any kind of government help or assistance as we are both hard working people that make enough to pay daily bills and necessities but not have a lot of extra. Tegan is so outgoing and very energetic!!! She is one of the most beautiful little girls I have ever laid my eyes on and I love my daughter to no lengths!!! She is extremely smart, talkative, outgoing and just AMAZING!!! The doctors even told me that they are astonished at how well she speaks beings she was born deaf in one ear! We did not know she was Deaf until Tegan was having trouble hearing due to an ear infection this past December. This lead to many ENT appointments (I got a few opinions as the hearing some opinions from her testing didn’t sit well with me!) and some doctors visits and finally to a BAER test which is - BAER (Brain Stem Auditory Evoked Response) Testing used to evaluate the function of the auditory nerve, cochlea and hearing pathways in brain. It is routinely performed in place of a behavioral hearing test on those who are unable to cooperate with a standard hearing test (for example: infants, those with developmental delays, etc.), but it can still be used to detect hearing loss. BAER is not painful although in this case Tegan was sedated. First, electrodes are placed on the person's forehead, scalp and earlobes and small headphones are put inside of each ear. The electrodes measure brain waves. After all equipment is in place a series of clicks, hisses, and other sounds are played. The brain's response to these sounds is recorded and used to determine the patient's level of hearing. And finally when Tegan woke up we were told what no parent expects, that our beautiful daughter is deaf in one ear and would need a hearing aid, forever. With all this being said I am asking for help to raise some money to help us pay for her hearing aid!!! Tegan deserves to live a normal life and enjoy the sounds of nature, music (which she LOVES), her friends and family!!! She’s a special little girl and she means so much to a lot of us... We as her family need some help coming up with $7,000 to cover the hearing aid. I know there are still good people in this world and I ask as her mother to please please please help in any way you can!!! Thank you so much for reading her story!!! And please share it!!
Organizer
Rahni Diesel
Organizer
Mitchellville, IA