Early detection of hearing loss and information on individualized intervention > Diana's Story
When Diana H. didn’t pass her newborn hearing screening or a follow-up test at the military hospital in Texas, the doctor drained the fluid from her ears and thought that would end the matter. As the months went by and she didn’t seem to be responding to sound, her parents, Alma and Hector, began to worry. Like most families of babies with hearing loss, everyone in Diana’s family is hearing, so no one was sure what to do.
Then, Hector was called up for his second tour of duty in Iraq and Diana decided to move to California to be closer to her mother. Soon after, she contacted John Tracy Clinic’s Long Beach Center and made an appointment for further testing. JTC audiologists found that little Diana had severe to profound bilateral hearing loss and would need to have a Cochlear Implant to have full access to the sounds of speech.
After Hector returned from Iraq, Alma and Diana returned to Texas, where their little girl had the implant surgery. She was 26 months old and had no spoken language. The family then relocated to a base in Virginia until Hector was sent to Iraq for the third time. Alma has now returned to California to work with JTC preschool teachers to gain full advantage of Diana’s new implant. They are building her ability to listen to speech and environmental sounds, and her teachers report that Diana, now three and half, has recently began using single words, such as “go,” “bye-bye” and “open.” Her parents are thrilled.
“No other place has helped me like John Tracy Clinic,” Alma says. “I learn so much every time I go to class or work with the teachers. In Texas and Virginia, I felt so alone. At John Tracy Clinic, I feel strong enough to overcome any obstacle. I am so lucky to be part of it, and I want to thank all the people that make John Tracy Clinic happen.”
Video spotlight:
Watch another parent, Celeste, talk about her experience at JTC
and the importance of early intervention for her son Logan.
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