Merry Christmas and Happy 2016!

A lot of wonderful blessings have poured in our lives this year especially to my baby Enzo who needed it most. We will be forever grateful to our family, friends and friends of our friends who reached out to support the activities we've put up to help raise funds for Enzo's impending cochlear implantation. 

Our first target for the operation should have happened last September. Unfortunately, we weren't able to proceed because of the high cost of the cochlear implants, doctor's fee and hospitalization bill. As a mother, I'd like to give the best care that I can provide to my son this is why I opted to take this path and asked for your support for the fundraiser.

We've managed to organize several mountaineering events - DAYO, Hulugan Falls and the rappelling for a cause in Buruwisan; the GiveForward.com fundraiser put up by a close friend; and to several individuals who weren't present in the activities but didn't forget to share their blessings. 

The amount needed for Enzo's cochlear implantation is P985,000. This includes the Concierto Implant from MED-EL, doctor's professional fee and the overall hospitalization bill. So far, we've only managed to raise P125,855 still far from our goal yet a modest turnout since we started the fundraiser four months ago.

I fervently pray to the Lord that Enzo will soon receive the gift of sound within the first quarter of 2016. We are racing against time since this is the best age when he can have the operation and be able to hear again. 

Again, thank you for your genuine support. Belated Merry Christmas!

To learn more about Enzo's condition, kindly read HERE.

Please follow this blog for more updates about Enzo and to learn more about hearing loss in children and other related information.

For more information, contact Kat at (+63) 917-8067905 or email enzogiftofsound@gmail.com.

Cochlear Implantation: How does it work?

If you've been following Enzo's journey, the main inspiration for putting up this blog is to raise funds for his cochlear implantation.

What is cochlear implantation? 

According to the American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),

A cochlear implant is a device that provides stimulation directly to the auditory nerve, bypassing damaged hair cells in the cochlea that prevent sound from reaching the nerve. An implant does not result in "restored" hearing for the recipient, but does allow him or her to perceive sounds.

Children as young as twelve months of age can become a candidate for cochlear implantation so long as the child has severe to profound hearing loss in both ears. 

In Enzo's case, his medical profile from the Philippine National Ear Institute showed that he has Bilateral Profound Hearing Loss. His condition was only discovered when he was seven months old. He is turning two this October 23. 

According to the summary report submitted by Dr. Charlotte M. Chiong, cochlear implantation is strongly recommended for him to have a chance to access the frequencies that are not accessible with hearing aids. 

Through the recommendation of doctors, Mommy Kat found MED-EL Philippines, Inc. for Enzo's implantation. 

However, the cost of the cochlear implants can't be handled alone by Enzo's family. How much will it cost?

Enzo's conchlear implants will be the MED-EL CONCERTO SYSTEM. The unit's original price is Php 1,330,000,00 (including taxes and duties).

Fortunately, MED-EL has offered a discounted price for the unit at Php 950, 000 (including taxes and duties) inclusive of the following:

• One (1) year speech therapy
• Two (2) years free programming and fitting of the system

MED-EL's Concerto Cochlear Implant 
photo credit: MED-EL

The Concerto, described by MED-EL as "the world's smallest titanium cochlear implant", has a variety of "the softest and most flexible electrode arrays ever produced." 

What does MED-EL actually mean by this? 

The company "developed a wave-shaped wire design that enables the electrode to flex and bend making it perfectly suitable for insertion into the cochlea."

The electrode is an electrical conductor responsible for transmitting the electrical simulation to the nerve fibers in the cochlea.

Here is a video from MED-EL explaining how cochlear implant works:

Video from MED-EL's YouTube 

MED-EL's Concerto is the perfect implant for Enzo considering that the unit's flexibility fits his age. This will be surgically placed in his ears and will be worn hopefully in his lifetime. 

To learn more about MED-EL, the CONCERTO and the other hearing aid technologies developed by the company, you can visit the following links:

• CONCERTO|
  http://www.medel.com/components-concerto/
• Hearing Preservation
  http://www.medel.com/hearingpreservation/titel=The%20Importance%20of%20Hearing%20Preservation&

To learn more about Enzo's condition, kindly read HERE.

Please follow this blog for more updates about Enzo and to learn more about hearing loss in children and other related information.

For more information, contact Kat at (+63) 917-8067905 or email enzogiftofsound@gmail.com.