How cochlear implant funding can change a life

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Fri, 10 Feb 2012 7:00p.m.

When Issy Cairns was just four weeks old, her parents were told she was profoundly deaf.

Cricket legend Chris Cairns and his wife were devastated but determined to do what they could for their daughter.

This is a story of how cochlear implants have changed one little girl's life.

You see, if Issy lived in New Zealand like her grandfather Lance, she'd get only get one implant, but because she lives in Australia, she's got two.

Reporter Helen Vaughan shares Issy's remarkable story and the moment she heard sound for the first time.

Watch the video

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Comments

14 Feb 2012 06:29p.m.

Stacey wrote:

My son had just turned 1, and he was born profoundly deaf. He was diagnosed when he was four months old as he kept failing the hearing tests. At 9 months old he recieved his cochlear implant and on the 1 December 2011 he was switched on and able to hear for the first time. It is amazing to watch him dance to the music he can now hear and turn when he hears a new voice and I am so grateful for that. It's just so disappointing that the government won't fund two implants as it would be so much more beneficial to him especially as he grows older. The Australian government understands this - yet for some reason the NZ government does not. $40,000 is a lot of money for anything but I'm hoping to be able to fundraise to get this by the time he starts school. He deserves to be able to hear out of both ears!

14 Feb 2012 12:54a.m.

velisha wrote:

hi, I have a child with a cochlear implant aged 2 1/2 years and wasnt diagnosed as profoundly deaf (100%) till she was 10days past her 2nd birthday. I am a young mother of 2 girls and finding out that my child was deaf at the age of 23 was such hard news to cope with. Since she was 3 months old i had been going to the Drs only to be brushed off everytime and left feeling like i was a neurotic mother. She passed her new born screening as 100% hearing and to which WANGANUI hospital cannot tell me why! She was implanted on the 22nd Sept 2011 and has been hearing now for a little over 3 months. Sooo hard to know that Australia do bilateral implants and yet the NZ government doesnt think that its good enough to fund for both ears. The financial strain that it puts on a family is crazy and makes everything sooo difficult! I think we were all given 2 ears to hear from and yet our children have to suffer with just one! Location of sound depends on both ears and having one is like listening to ur tv with only one speaker going or placing a ear plug in one ear! Just for the rechargable batteries is $1500 for a set of 3 which will become the cost of the person implanted when they turn 18! I would love for the government to have a wakeup call and set their prioritys in order of importance

10 Feb 2012 09:35p.m.

Mike wrote:

This was a very good article and is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the medical system goes. I suffer from Chataracts in both eyes. The medical system in NZ has only given me the use of one eye back and that took 6 years to achieve, but if I was in Australia I would have had both eyes fixed straigt away. I have one eye but am not allowed to work in many occupations or drive as I only have 2D vision and no depth perception. I get stress headaches on a regular basis due to only using one side of the brain for all readin and vision activities. CL or 60mins need to do an in depth story on the health system irregularities and imbalances in NZ

10 Feb 2012 08:32p.m.

Rob wrote:

It`s been there John for many years, even better!! Read this and take it to a new level.
http://www.worldtrans.org/spir/neuro.html