... and then there was sound
INOTHANDO Qalinto blinked, listened, frowned and babbled with a huge smile on his face as his cochlear implant went live at 2pm yesterday.
The toddler, 2, who was born with profound hearing loss in both ears, heard for the first time yesterday, only one day late.
The cochlear implant switch-on, scheduled for Monday, had to be postponed because burglars stole the computer and equipment required for the procedure.
The necessary cables were couriered overnight from Pretoria to enable the procedure to go ahead yesterday, said Carel du Toit Centre principal Paula Kumm.
It was switched on by audiologists Dr Catherine Richter from Frere Hospital and Dr Jenny Perold from Cape Town.
This was all possible thanks to the life-changing cochlear implant operation conducted pro bono by Tygerberg Hospital’s Dr Gary Kroukamp, who performed the surgery on May 12 at Frere Hospital. Dr Perold said: “It was a wonderful session because he tolerated the sound beautifully.
“He definitely heard, and he is so ready for all the sounds to make sense to him.”
Perold said Inothando would work with speech therapists to be given the building blocks of learning to talk.
Grandmother Nokubonga Qalinto said: “I’m so excited that I’ll realise my dream of conversing with my grandson. He is such a social child.” —