Good Morning Angels: A young boy gets the gift of hearing
The gift of hearing for a boy who's forging ahead despite a challenging start in life...
At the tender age of just eight years old, little André van Zyl has had a lifetime of struggles to overcome. His mom was just 18 years old when she had him. As an inexperienced teen, she never realised that the rash she had while expecting was in fact not an allergic reaction, but rather German Measles or Rubella.
André was born with several health difficulties including an enlarged kidney, a hole in the heart, asthma, and a hernia. He spent several weeks in a state hospital whereafter his gran, Magda van der Berg, suggested that they take care of him.
André went home with his grandparents and has been living with them ever since. Magda nursed André to health like a little bird; giving him small mouthfuls of milk so he could keep it down and grow stronger.
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At the age of around two, Magda noticed that André was not responding to sound as he should and that is when his loss of hearing was diagnosed. He was fitted with hearing aids, but as the years went by, his hearing disappeared and his frustration with his lack of communication ability grew.
He speaks a few words and is in a school for deaf children where he is taught sign language. He has been diagnosed with ADHD and is on the autism spectrum, but he is a good candidate for a cochlear implant, which would improve much of his communication, learning, and socialising challenges dramatically.
André’s grandparents have him on a medical aid - one of their biggest financial responsibilities, however, they have to pay R70,000 for the implant to be done as well as future therapy. Like most families, they do not have the means to pay this portion, on top of all the other medical bills they have to foot.
That is where our Good Morning Angels and the Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss SA come in.
To donate or find out more visit: www.hearingloss.org.za
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REQUEST FOR: Eight-year-old André van Zyl and gran, Magda van der Berg
ANGEL: Erika Basson representing the Foundation for Children with Hearing loss in Southern Africa
SPONSORING: The Foundation for Children with Hearing loss in SA exists to assist children like André to receive the gift of hearing. To mark World Hearing Day this week, the Foundation will assist André and his family with the outstanding R70 000 needed to make his cochlear implant a reality! His procedure has already been booked and he will soon be able to hear again!
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ORIGINAL REQUEST:
Liewe Good Morning Angels,
André van Zyl is nou agt jaar oud. Hy is al op twee jaar gediagnoseer met gehoorverlies en dra gehoorapparate al van ouderdom drie. Sy gehoorverlies het egter so verswak, dat die apparate nie nou meer genoeg voordeel vir hom bied nie – daarom is ‘n Kogilêre Inplanting nou die enigste hoop om vir hom toegang tot klank te gee. André se mamma was baie jonk toe hy gebore is (18). Sy was siek tydens swangerskap (rubella – duitse masels) – en André is gebore met ‘n hele paar uitdagings: een nier is groter, hy’t ’n gaatjie in die hart gehad, hy sukkel steeds met beheer oor sy blaas, en het as baba kort-kort opgehou asem haal. Sy mamma kan nie self na hom omsien nie, sy sukkel om hom te hanteer en kan nie al sy mediese onkostes bybring nie. Ouma en oupa het hom ingeneem en sorg vir in geheel vir hom soos hul eie kind.
"Ek het vir 6mnde elke 2de week hospitaal toe gery vir sy afsprake, toe word dit 1 x 'n maand. En daarna elke 2de maand. Hul het hom op ’n bitter medisinale melk gesit - 400g blikkies vir oor die R400. Daai tyd. Ek het hom begin met 5ml, 30min later 10ml, 30min later 15ml, nog 30 min later 20ml. Dan wag ek 'n uur. Dan begin ek weer. As ek wag om na 25ml te gaan, dan gooi hy alles op. Hy't elke dag sterker geword. Hy't 1 blikkie 'n week gedrink. Toe 2 blikkies 'n week. Die kerk, familie en vriende het almal gehelp melk koop”.
André het wonderbaarlik al reeds ‘n paar woordjies aangeleer wat hy kan se- selfs soms 3-4 woord sinne. Hy is tans in ‘n skool vir dowes waar hy handgebare leer – juis as ‘n kommunikasie-metode, omdat hy doof is nie nie vol woordeskat het nie. Sy ouma sê hy raak vreeslik gefrustreerd omdat hy homself nie kan uitdruk aan mense nie. Na die inplanting sal hy intensiewe spraakterapie ontvang, wat ook sy spraak en taal sal help.
André is gediagnoseer met ‘n LIGTE vorm van outisme – hy hou goeie oogkontak, het maklik interaksie met mense, is vriendelik ens… maar ouma se soms as hy gefrustreerd raak sal jy die tekens sien in terme van dieselfde beweging of geluide wat hy aanhoudend maak – en dan gekalmeer moet word. Arbeidsterapie is ook noodsaaklik vir Andre se vordering om sy agterstand in te haal - agterstand is agv van al sy uitdagings en veral sy gehoorverlies. André het ook ADHD… hy is ‘n ongelooflike besige seuntjie…
Hierdie ouma en oupa het baie uitstaande mediese rekeninge vir klein André... rekeninge wat egter nooit ophou nie, omdat hy gereeld mediese hulp en terapie nodig het. Die mediese fonds voordele hou net so lank per jaar, dan moet die res uit hulle sak betaal word. Hulle sukkel selfs om die mediese fonds te behou – maar sonder dit, sal hulle nooit by al die rekeninge kan uitkom nie.
Hierdie mense het hulp nodig.
Help hulle asb om vir André die beste kans op ’n normale lewe te gee.
Dankie!
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