Heartfelt donation
Friendship between a young hearing-impaired Horsham girl and her speech pathologist has inspired a donation to the medical professionals who supported her through years of treatment.
Katie Schumann, six, was born profoundly deaf in both ears and needed the support of Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital speech pathologist, and now long-time friend Denise Courtney, during six years of treatment.
No longer needing the help of Dr Courtney, Katie and her grandfather Lee Schumann raised $1150 for the hospital’s cochlear implant clinic in Melbourne by selling wooden Christmas trees built from old pallets.
Katie presented Dr Courtney with the surprise donation earlier this month.
Mr Schumann said he spoke about the idea of an implant-clinic fundraiser to ‘give back in life’.
“I had made one wooden Christmas tree the year before. But Katie and I thought we would make a few and use them to raise some money for the clinic,” he said.
“Katie helped me build them and she was with me every time delivering them. It was great to do something fun to teach Katie about money and about giving back in life.
“Katie really wanted the money to go to implant research and development. She wants to do a yearly cochlear fundraiser for kids like her.”
Dr Courtney said when Katie arrived at the clinic to present her with the money, it brought a tear to her eye.
“I think she may have a future in community fundraising in her. She is a very special, precious girl,” she said.
Dr Courtney said Katie and her family kept their plan a secret.
“I didn’t know she was fundraising; it was all a surprise. She gave me the special Christmas-wrapped box with the cash donation inside. I could hear the money in there,” she said.
Dr Courtney said she met the Schumann family when Katie was five months old.
“Katie had always been a delight, even when she was a little tot,” she said.
Katie had her first cochlear implant when she was 10 months.
She had her second implant, in her other ear, when she was two and has since regularly visited Dr Courtney to monitor and assess her implants.
Katie has now moved into the next stage of her hearing journey and will not be needing Dr Courtney’s one-onone support.
Dr Courtney said it was a sad moment when Katie left for the last time, but she was proud of what Katie was now capable of.
“Katie’s success has been because of her and her family’s hard work,” she said.
“She will not have to come to Melbourne as much now, as she continues working on her hearing journey, but hopefully I will be lucky enough to see her again soon.
“I will always keep an eye out for her when she comes back to the ear and eye hospital. Little Katie has asked for the money to go towards cochlear-implant research.
“We will certainly make sure the money heads to the people who make that research happen.
“It is amazing someone so young has made such a beautiful decision.”