A toddler born with profound hearing loss in both ears heard for the first time yesterday, only a day after his scheduled cochlear implant switch-on had to be postponed due to thieves stealing the computer and equipment required for the procedure.
The necessary programme cables were couriered overnight from Pretoria to enable the procedure to go ahead today, said Carel du Toit Centre principal Paula Kumm.
Inothando Qalinto, 2, blinked, listened, frowned and babbled with a smile on his face as his cochlear implant went live at 2pm yesterday.
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 conducted pro bono by Tygerberg Hospital surgeon Dr Gary Kroukamp, who performed the operation 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.” — malibongwed@dispatch.co.za..