Born deaf kid utters first word — ‘abbu’ — after 3 years, can now hear too

Bangaloreans and a business house contributed towards the treatment of three-year-old Touheed who, fitted with high-definition hearing aids and following some months of speech therapy, can now lisp ‘ammi’ and ‘bhaiyya’ too.

It took the first three years of his life for little Touheed Ali to utter his first word recently – “abbu” (father). But it was the most beautiful sound to his parents — Nawaz Ali and Rehaana. Like his 13-year-old elder brother Tahir, Touheed too was born deaf. The children’s condition is linked to the consanguineous marriage of their parents — Nawaz and Rehaana are first cousins.

 

Nawaz, who works with a security agency, could only afford hearing aid kits for his elder son. When ENT specialists suggested a cochlear implant costing around Rs 7 lakh for the younger one, the father, who earns around Rs 15,000 a month, knew it was way beyond his means.

 

Bangalore Mirror had highlighted the family’s story, especially how elder brother Tahir wanted Touheed to get better treatment than he had (Forget about me, just cure my baby brother, March 27). Our readers responded by loosening their purse-strings and a well-known business house volunteered to foot the treatment costs.

 

Today, after four months of treatment and three months of speech therapy, Touheed, who sports high-definition hearing aids in his tiny ears, can hear what people are saying, tries to join in the conversation and every once in a while looks lovingly at his dear “bhaiyya”.

While Rs 42,000 was deposited in Touheed’s account by generous citizens, the Hindujas of Gokuldas Warehousing Corporation sponsored the treatment. A fresh round of tests at their own hospital – Sindhi Hospital – concluded that instead of a cochlear implant, high-definition hearing aids would suffice at this stage of his life as an infection after the operation could not be ruled out.

 

The ENT specialists estimated that the treatment would cost around Rs 70,000. Rajendra Hinduja wrote out a cheque for Rs 50,000 and handed it to the boy’s father. The hearing aids were fixed at Clarity Hearing Aid Centre in Cox Town and the treatment cost came to Rs 60,000.

“I have opened a fixed deposit with the Rs 42,000 and will use the money for upgradation of the hearing aids. As the ears grow bigger, the kit too has to be upgraded,’’ Nawaz said.

 

Once the hearing aids were fixed to his ears, Touheed was taken to a speech and hearing institute at Lingarajpuram for speech therapy. After three months of sessions, Touheed uttered his first word — “abbu” — followed by “bhaiyya” and “ammi”. Last week, he was put in a pre-school near his house in BTM Layout.

Tahir’s own speech and hearing abilities, after several years of speech therapy, are around 70 per cent of normal – he is now studying in the eighth standard. 

 

 

Those who want to help with their ongoing treatment costs can contact Ali Nawaz on 95387 67078.

 

 

Source : Bangalore Mirror , 30th July 2013