Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘She’ll wake up and not hear you’
Appeals for funding for five-year-old Reese’s 2020 operation not covered by the state
REESE Esterhuizen is a real fighter who keeps her head held high.
The 5-year-old from Parow Valley was diagnosed with enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome and needs a cochlear implant.
The syndrome is a common inner ear malformation. Reese’s mother Nicole Esterhuizen, said it started in 2016 when teachers at her daughter’s crèche noticed she was acting strange.
“She did not want to participate in class activities and threw things off the table. At the time, she did not speak properly, but the words were coming. We then took her to Victoria Hospital, and they discovered that the speech therapy was not helping and referred us to Red Cross Hospital for audiological testing, which confirmed that her eardrums were healthy,” she said.
But a month later, Esterhuizen and her husband, Rian, went back to Red Cross, where doctors discovered Reese had sensorineural hearing loss.
“We then went back in January, they did an auditory brainstem response test (measures the brain’s activity in response to the sound). We were then referred to Carel du Toit centre, where they fitted her hearing aid and gave us support. We then decided to enrol her in at the school because they work hand-inhand with the doctors at Tygerberg,” she said.
In May 2018, Reese’s symptoms became severe and the family discovered that she had enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome. A few months later her hearing loss affected both her ears.
“It strikes when you least expect it. She will wake up and cannot hear you. At the start of everything it was very emotional because we did not understand what was going on and we started blaming ourselves.
“Once we knew what was actually wrong, things started to get better,” said Nicole.
On Monday, Reese who has two hearing aids will go for a cochlear implant but she will need R300 000 to go for the second one in 2020.
“She needs to go for two operations because she has the syndrome in both of her ears and the state only covers for the first operation. Her hearing and speech will improve after this process,” said Esterhuizen, who is grateful everyone who has helped out thus far.
“We are thankful to our bosses who understood our situation. They have been helpful in this process as well because during the week we will have other hospital appointments,” said Nicole, who described her daughter as a lovely and affectionate child.
Audiologist at Tygerberg Hospital Suryn Lombaard said Reese had been referred for a cochlear implant assessment during 2018 when her hearing suddenly dropped to a profound degree.
“At that stage, the radiological investigations revealed dilation of the vestibular aqueducts. Some children with enlarged vestibular aqueduct syndrome are born with a hearing loss, but in most cases the onset of the hearing loss is sudden or hearing deteriorates gradually over time. Research suggest that this condition may occur in 5-15% of paediatric cases,” she said.
Kinders Van Die Ses will perform
Betaal Om Te Lag to raise funds for Reese.
Managing director at Kinders Van Die Ses, Omar Adams, said he was always willing to help others.
“All the years I have been working with children and it is not a nice feeling to see them suffer,” he said.
The musical/comedy show takes place at Athlone Civic on February 8 and entry fee is R75.
At the start of everything it was very emotional because we did not understand
Nicole Esterhuizen
Reese’s mother