Implant lifts quality of life for family
Daniel Dee and his mother Winnie have a unique bond - they were born with hearing loss.
Two-year-old Daniel relies on the services of Telethon Speech and Hearing to help him through his developmental years.
He has severe-profound hearing loss. His mother's hearing loss is less severe.
Mrs Dee said the centre provided invaluable help for her son, who was born in New Zealand and was nine months old when they came to Australia.
"In 2012, we enrolled in the (Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre) Chatterbox Early Intervention Program," she said.
"Telethon Speech and Hearing in conjunction with Australian Hearing identified Daniel's need for a unilateral cochlear implant instead of a hearing aid.
"Daniel was implanted with a cochlear implant though the centre in 2012 and his post-operative rehabilitation was provided by Telethon Speech and Hearing."
Mrs Dee said the Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre improved both her and her son's quality of life.
"As a hearing-impaired mother, I appreciate the services they provide even more, especially the focus on early intervention, which provides a chance for a child to develop speech and language at the same rate as their non-hearing impaired peers," she said.
The centre mainly provides auditory and verbal therapy for children.
The Telethon Speech and Hearing Centre is one of the not-for- profit groups that benefit from United Way WA's Five Cents for Five Senses campaign.
To donate to the campaign or learn more about it, visit unitedwaywa.com.au.
