I am mommy's super hero!

December 25, 2015

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.

Enzo's First Trick or Treat

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.

A Double Celebration

Enzo had two blessed celebrations for his second birthday. First, he had an early birthday celebration with DAYO. We wish that someday he'll become part of the team too :)

Birthday cake from DAYO

Again, we'd like to thank the group for your countless support. Cheers to more successful climbs!

For his second celebration, Enzo shared his special day with his family and close friends. This is a simple gift from Mom Kat for his little boy. 

Mommy Kat and Enzo

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Jeremiah 29:11

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.

Happy 2nd Birthday Enzo

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with

yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than

 the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

-- an excerpt from Max Ehrmann's poem Desiderata

Dayo hosts successful mountaineering activities for Enzo

The weekends of August and September were the busiest months of 2015 for baby Enzo's family and friends.

Mommy Kat is an active member of the mountaineering group DAYO. In cooperation with the outdoor group, they launched a series of climbing activities to help raise funds for Enzo's cochlear implantation.

Around 139 participants plus guests joined the climb. Here's the unofficial head count posted on Enzo/Dayo's Facebook group:

• Mt. Maculot August 22, 2015
  10 participants

Team Maculot (dubbed as the Pabebe Group)

• Bolinao
  August 29, 2015
  10 participants

Team Bolinao (dubbed as Rose among the Thorn)

• Mt. Batulao 
  September 5, 2015
  13 participants

Team Batulao (dubbed as The Lucky 13)

• Mt. Mabilog
  September 12, 2015
  37 participants

Team Mt. Mabilog (dubbed as Usapang Bilog)

• Mt. Manabu
  September 19, 2015
  44 participants 

Team Mt. Manabu (dubbed as Climb with Kapeng Barako)

• Mt. Manalmon
  September 26, 2015
  35 participants

Team Manalmon (dubbed as Twin Hike)

A culminating event for all participants was supposed to take place last October 17 and 18 at Magalawa Island Amada Resort in Zambales wherein the amount collected from the climbs will be awarded to Enzo and mom Kat. Unfortuntely, Kat and little Enzo wasn't able to join the group in Zambales due to weather disturbance that week. 

Dayo's successful climb for a cause for Enzo raised a total of Php 60,430.00 collected from the registration fee, donation from participants and t-shirt sale. 

Baby Enzo, mommy Kat and their family are grateful for the time and energy shared by the participants and DAYO's support for this cause. 

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.

Photo credit goes to the owners of the images. 

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.

A Day in the Life | Enzo's Therapy Part 2: Occupational Therapy

In one of our earlier posts, we've learned about the various therapies Enzo needed for his learning development (Read: A day in the life | Enzo's Therapy Part 1: Language and Speech).

Aside from his language and speech therapy, Dr. Agnes Falcotelo, his developmental pediatrician at Capitol Medical Center, required him to undergo an Occupational Therapy focusing on ADL (Activity on Daily Living) and behavioral activity.

Enzo with his therapist/teacher Alvin Wang of CHIPS Inc.

What is occupational therapy?

According to KidsHealth.Org:

Occupational therapy (OT) treatment focuses on helping people with a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability be as independent as possible in all areas of their lives. OT can help kids with various needs improve their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills and enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.

Enzo's occupational therapy is also held at CHIPS Inc. with his teacher Alvin Wang. He uses different tools such as chewy tubes, ball and toys that can help him develop his motor skills and learn actions such as 'give', 'throw away', 'pack away' and 'bye bye' among others.

He is also learning how to play with toys properly.

Enzo learning balance control with a vestibular ball.

Here are just some of the tools that Enzo play with during therapy:

Aside from these therapies, his mommy Kat also wants to him to grow and become familiar in an environment where he can be physically active and confident.

Mommy Kat and Enzo at the Marikina Sports Complex

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.

A Life Without Sound: What you need to learn about hearing loss in children

Imagine living a life without sound. Imagine growing up without ever knowing what it’s like to hear the sound of laughter, music or your loved ones’ voices.

It’s quite difficult to imagine or put yourself in the shoes of someone growing up missing one of the five senses to help you get by through your daily life. Our senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste are all important and connected that if one thing goes wrong, all aspects of life gets affected.

Source: Freepik.com

For Enzo, discovering the world around him is a challenge. He can’t speak and can’t express himself properly. He was already seven months old when his mom discovered that he can’t hear on both ears.

Bilateral Profound Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is a common birth defect that affects 1 to 3 out of 1,000 babies.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), thirty two million children have disabling hearing loss. This means that the hearing loss is greater than 30 dB – that is the sound of a quiet bedroom at night or a whisper.

Enzo was diagnosed with Bilateral Profound Hearing Loss. There is damage in his inner ear or cochlea, the nerve pathway from the ear to the brain.

Source: https://mechanicalcochlea.wordpress.com/home/the-cochlea/

This type of hearing loss may be caused by genetic syndromes or infection from the mother that was passed to her baby in the womb.

In Enzo’s case, his mom Kat had a urinary tract related infection while she was still pregnant with him.

Race against time

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association notes that 'hearing is critical to speech and language development, communication, literacy and learning. Early identification and intervention of hearing loss can lessen the impact on a child’s development.'

Families and friends are in a race against time to help give Enzo the gift of sound. He is still in his best age to have a cochlear implant surgery that will help him hear the world around him.  He is turning two years old on October 23rd.

One cochlear implant costs about P1.3 million per ear.

On our next blog entry, we will discuss more about cochlear implants and how it will help Enzo hear again.

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.

A day in the life | Enzo's Therapy Part 1: Language and Speech

Enzo with teacher Jessha Bustamante

Enzo had his initial speech evaluation on April 2015. Speech evaluation and therapy are the requirements before the CI (cochlea implantation). His EENT and developmental pedia recommended the Center for Holistic Intervention Plans & Services, Inc. (CHIPS Inc.) where Enzo is currently enrolled. Therapy is done once a week.

CHIPS Inc. is located at 7-A Maginhawa Street in Diliman, Quezon City.

Enzo's learning goals are measured in three categories set in each lesson and activity. These are Audition, Speech, and Language/Cognition. Audition evaluates Enzo's ability to perceive environmental sound through vibrations using musical instruments. Speech sound is observed while playing. Language/Cognition, on the other hand, is also evaluated while playing using toys and book sharing.

 

Based on the evaluation, Enzo shows inconsistent response. He still needs handover assistance, but he can associate sounds to objects like, for instance, "oo" for train and "mm" for car.

Enzo's language and speech therapy must continue after his cochlear implant surgery.

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.

Enzo, a gift of sound

Lorenzo Julian Valenzuela was born on October 23, 2013. Since birth, Enzo showed signs of a healthy and normal baby boy – fascinated and attentive of his surroundings. However, on his seventh month, Enzo's mom, Kat, noticed that he doesn't respond when she calls his name. Moreover, there seemed to be a delay on his speech.

Without a second thought, Kat brought Enzo to his pediatrician. On June 2014, he had his first Otoacoustic Emisstion Test (OEA). This is the test used for newborn hearing screening for infants. Unfortunately, the pediatrician missed to require Kat about the newborn hearing screening when Enzo was born.

Enzo underwent the Otoacoustic Emission Test twice (OEA) in two different clinics to get a second opinion.

On July 2014, Enzo underwent the Brainstem Auditory Evoke Response (BAER) test and the Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR). According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, BAER is a test to measure the brain wave activity that occurs in response to clicks or certain tones. It helps diagnose nervous system problems and hearing loss.

Enzo is asleep while taking the Brainstem Auditory Response Test (BAER).

The ASSR, on the other hand, estimates hearing sensitivity. According to the to The Hearing Review, the goal of ASSR is to create an estimated audiogram from which questions regarding hearing, hearing loss, and aural rehabilitation can be answered.

Mommy Kat holding Enzo while he is undergoing ASSR

Results show that Enzo has Bilateral Profound Hearing Loss. Below is the complete medical profile of Enzo from the Capitol Medical Center.

Medical Profile: 

Diagnosis: Bilateral Profound Hearing Loss

Imaging Studies:

CT Scan:   Bilateral cochlear hypoplasia (Capitol Medical Center, 7-9-14)

MRI:         Bilateral cochlear hypoplasia
                  (Capitol Medical Center, 7-9-14)

ABR & ASSR Studies

ABR:        Abnormal BAER study both ears showing bilateral moderate to severe hearing loss.                            (Clinical neurophysiology lab, Capitol Medical Center, 6-24-14)

ASSR:      ASSR results indicate Profound Hearing Loss, both ears.
                 (Jul. 12, 2014)

Earscoping with his EENT, Dr. Charlotte Chiong

Several monthly aided tests have been conducted at the American Hearing Company of the Philippine Children's Medical Center and the Madriaga Hearing Care Center. However, results still failed and hearing is profound. Currently, Enzo is using hearing aids.

Enzo under MRI Scan last Feb 20, 2015

Below is the summary of of Dr. Chiong's findings:

Summary:

Lorenzo Julian Valenzuela 1 year old boy was diagnosed with bilateral profound hearing loss. The hearing loss was confirmed by ABR, ASSR Studies and Aided Threshold Test. Lorenzo used hearing aids but still he was not able to manifest language and speech development appropriate for his age. As studies showed and as proven by the experiences of other patients, this degree of hearing loss will lead to the non-development of spoken language on the part of the patient unless intervention is done.

In this case, Cochlear implantation is strongly recommended for him to have a chance to access the frequencies that are not accessible with hearing aids, and this may help him to develop his speech and language skills.

Charlotte M. Chiong, M.D., Ph.D.Director
PRC# 61381
PTR# 1791604B

In this regard, we have created this blog to help Enzo raise funds for cochlear implants. A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device surgically implanted to a person who is profoundly deaf. According to Cochlear.com, the implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.

One cochlear implant costs about P1.3 million per ear. Mommy Kat and Enzo can't carry this alone. We are appealing to your kind hearts to help Enzo receive the gift of sound.

Enzo wearing his hearing aids.

Two mountaineering groups have already extended their help to Kat and baby Enzo. Dayo and the Basecamp Outdoor Club of Laguna will conduct mountaineering activities and events that will also help raise funds for Enzo.

We humbly ask for your prayers and support in this endeavor to meet the doctor's timetable. His surgery is scheduled this October 2015. A donation of any amount will do to cover the cost of the cochlear implants.

ACCOUNT INFORMATION:

BDO Savings Acct
Acct Name: Lorenzo Julian Valenzuela
Acct No: 0062-4007-3627
Branch: Marikina - Gil Fernando Ave
For Cash Deposit Only

BPI Current Acct
Acct Name: Sherill Merdegia
Acct No: 4175-8360-26
Branch: Sta. Lucia Cainta

For donations abroad, send through Paypal: kat_merdegia@yahoo.com or at Give Forward.

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.