Good Morning Angels: The gift of hearing for seven recipients

BACKGROUND: World Hearing Day was marked yesterday, focusing on deafness prevention. The World Health Organisation predicts that over 900 million people will suffer from disabling hearing loss globally by the year 2050. 

In South Africa, 1 in 12 children cannot hear their teacher and only 2000 audiologists are available for 59 million people. 

50% of hearing loss can be prevented with early detection and intervention at the primary care level.

With this in mind, Good Morning Angels received an offer from eMoyo, a South African medical technology company and Entheos, an American company, to assist seven people with hearing aids. All the recipients sent requests to Good Morning Angels. They’ve all been tested and will be fitted with the correct hearing aids for their needs. The hearing aids of two of these recipients will be fitted live on air today - to give them back the gift of hearing.

REQUEST FOR: Seven Jacaranda FM listeners

Two of the seven recipients joined Breakfast with Martin Bester. 

3-year-old Micke Zowitsky

Little Micke's dad was killed in a car accident two years ago. Her Mom Cherise, a nursery school teacher has been trying her best to get Micke hearing aids, but she is not on medical aid. She currently has demo hearing aids which she needs to return. eMoyo has worked together with her audiologist and Oticon, so she can keep the hearing aids. She still needs speech therapy, but a very positive outcome is predicted.

68-year-old Felix De Gouveia 

Felix has had a number of health issues the past few years, he suffered a stroke, is diabetic and is losing his sight as well as hearing. His daughter, Mandy has been very active in trying to resolve his hearing and sight problems. She is arranging a golf day to raise funds for the operation he needs on both eyes. eMoyo will be donating two hearing aids to Felix. We believe this will make a huge difference in Felix's life.

ANGEL: Dr Dirk Koekemoer, inventor of the KUDUwave mobile audiometer, on behalf of eMoyo and Entheos.

SPONSORING: The hearing of all seven recipients was tested by eMoyo's first of its kind mobile audiometer, the KUDUwave, developed and invented by Dr Dirk Koekemoer. Each of the recipients will be fitted with the appropriate hearing aids for their condition, sponsored by eMoyo, Entheos and Oticon.

ANGEL 2: The Good Morning Angels Fund NPC

SPONSORING: The GMA Fund will assist Cherise with R20 000,00 towards Micke’s future medical and therapy needs.

PLUS: The GMA Fund will assist Felix with R20 000,00 towards his eye surgery

ORIGINAL OFFER: The donation of the hearing aids was made possible by a partnership between eMoyo (a South African medical technology company with a footprint in 12 counties globally) and Entheos (a US Audiology Cooperative,  made up of like-minded audiologists from around the US. They are leaders in the industry who work together to create a better patient experience with the best quality of care.)

This partnership has seen numerous humanitarian trips to SA to test hearing in underprivileged areas and then donating hearing aids.  The recent trip in February 2020 saw 11 of some of the best audiologists in the US combine with eMoyo to do a humanitarian outreach in Tembisa where close to 200 people's hearing was tested and 48 hearing aids donated.       

More about eMoyo:  https://emoyo.net 

Founded by Dr Dirk Koekemoer, e Moyo is the ISO-13485 accredited, a multifaceted organization is dedicated to improving lives in lasting ways by advancing integrated, locally driven solutions. The organization is governed by innovative technology that provides digital health solutions for the betterment of the health system. eMoyo has made a significant contribution TO the development of medical devices that enhance hearing health.

It has a well-established design and development team that have made significant strides in developing technology that addresses the limited human resource component in health services that have led to expanded access for end-users of the health system.

More about Entheos:  https://entheoshearing.com

Entheos Audiology Cooperative, as a US-based company, was founded on the principle that the practice of hearing healthcare is a privilege. We believe that a give-as-you-go model is a tremendous way to serve your patients and community while achieving the goals of independent practice ownership. We also firmly believe that the key to reinvigorating practitioners is reconnecting them with the meaning of what they do every day and highlighting these efforts in their communities in a new light. At Entheos, our goal is to connect people to greater meaning and allow their talents to shine. We put the focus on people, not the bottom line.

ORIGINAL REQUEST: 

3-year-old Micke Zowitsky

Goeie dag Martin en span, 

Ek skryf vir julle met die hoop dat daar dalk iemand daar buite kan wees wat sal kan help. My seuntjie se kleuterskool Juffrou is n enkel mamma (Cherise) van n 3-jarige dogtertjie (Micke). Ek het Cherise in verlede maand eers ontmoet toe my seuntjie daar begin skool gaan het. Ek het geleer dat haar man oor 'n jaar terug verongeluk het toe hy opad Kaap toe was vir werk. Cherise en Micke is agter gelaat en woon tans by Cherise se vader wat ook ernstig siek is (moontlik kanker).

Micke het van haar pappa se dood af gehoor probleme ontwikkel en dit tas natuurlik haar spraak ook aan. Sy kan nie aanpas by die kleuterskool of komunikeer met ander maaitjies nie. Cherise het verlede week slegte nuus ontvang dat hierdie gehoor probleem nie net tydelik is nie maar dat Micke gehoor stukkies vir beide ore moet kry wat ongeveer R23'000 per stuk sal kos. Cherise het nie mediese fonds vir haar dogtertjie of haar siek pa nie. Finansieel gaan dit nie goed met hulle nie, soos ek verstaan het sy nog baie prokureer uitgawes wat sy maandeliks nog moet afbetaal van haar man se dood af, seker dalk boedel kostes ek is nie 100% seker nie. Ek is jammer as ek nie baie meer inligting het nie maar ek wil haar nog nie te veel uitvra oor alles nie, ek kan sien sy is nog baie emotioneel veral as sy praat oor haar dogtertjie. Cherise wil haar kind vreeslik graag help om te kan hoor en normaal aan te gaan maar haar hande is afgepak.

Ek glo julle kry baie versoeke elke week maar ek het dadelik gevoel hierdie mamma en dogtertjie is sulke pragtige mensies en moet gehelp word. 

Baie dankie,

Groete

Christelle Botha  

68-year-old Mr Felix Raimundo De Gouveia

Good Day,

We humbly ask for your assistance in helping us raise funds for Mr Felix Raimundo De Gouveia. He needs an operation done on both eyes and hearing aids for his ears. He has retinal detachment on his right eye and needs cataract surgery on his left eye. If left untreated he will lose all vision. 

He has also suffered a loss in hearing and both his ears need hearing aids. Due to his other health conditions and financial situation his family is unable to afford to put him on a medical aid ( declared bankruptcy in 2011 after he lost his business and means for earning and has been struggling to get back on his feet ) and He is currently in urgent need of R 135 260.00 to cover his medical expenses. Therefore, we appeal to all, to help him together with his family to raise this amount. A contribution of any amount will go a long way towards reaching this targeted amount.

Also what makes his case a bit more fragile is he is a diabetic, is on cholesterol & blood pressure medication as well as gout and has had a stroke 9 years ago.

Thank you,

Mandy