
Zuri
On the first Monday of May 2008, 3-year old Zuri came down with a high fever. By Wednesday she was hospitalized and by the following week, she had lost her hearing.
Turns out Zu had contracted bacterial meningitis and the infection had damaged both of her cochlea so they are now unable to interpret and transmit sound coming into her outer ear to her brain. In the space of a week, her world went silent.
Both the audiologist and the ENT specialist agree that she would do well with cochlear implants, a device which acts as a kind of middle-man, receiving sound directly and transmitting the signals directly to the brain.
This would allow her to hear again - not in the same way as before, but she would be able to recognize sounds, speech, music etc.
No! - hearing aids would not help her. They act like speakers, amplifying sound, but the degree of amplification she needs is too great.
Through the quick action and interest of a friend (thanks sooooooo much Sonja!) we have been in touch with the NYU Med Centre, a leading institution in the field of cochlear implants and research. Doctors there agree that Zu seems a perfect candidate and they are working with us to get her up there as soon as possible.