KNYSNA NEWS - Imagine for a moment that your child is born, but you cannot hear him or her cry. You cannot hear them laugh. You cannot hear their first words.
Then imagine that a doctor is able to rectify all this, but you cannot afford the operation – a procedure that would completely change your life.
This is the predicament 27-year-old mother of two, Dianna Damons of Knysna, finds herself in.
Dianna was diagnosed with bilateral acoustic neuromas in 2012 after suffering an extreme headache for two weeks. The pain was so intense, says Dianna, that she developed a squint.
She underwent an MRI scan which showed a melanoma on her brain. She had lost all hearing in her right ear at this time.
Tumours
A visit to Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town found two tumours growing on both sides of her brain near the back of her head.
At this time the tumour on the right side was bigger and on 28 August 2012 a pipe was placed into her head to drain excess fluid around the brain which was putting pressure on her right eye.
An operation to remove the tumour caused nerve damage, paralysing the right side of her face. By then she had lost her hearing in both ears.
In 2014, after the birth of her second daughter Luché, Dianna again went to Groote Schuur for a follow-up operation. "The hardest part was not having Luché with me. My grandmother took care of her for two weeks." she says. After the operation she was told she would never hear again,
"This was heartbreaking. I would never be able to hear my babies cry or laugh. I sometimes don't understand my youngest daughter, but she still comes to me and wants a kiss from mommy, as though she is saying it's okay."
Not one to wallow in self-pity, Dianna says she taught herself to lip-read. "There were days I wanted to give up and not go back to work, but who else is going to take care of my children?"
Dianna has been in and out of doctors' offices to find help, but was told that not even hearing aids would make a difference. Her eyesight has also deteriorated.
Hope
This year, though, hope came when a doctor at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg, who has done extensive research into her condition, told her she would be the perfect candidate for an auditory brainstem implant.
"This will be absolutely life-changing for me. I will be able to work better and possibly be promoted – and most of all, hear the voices of my children."
The operation can only be performed in Johannesburg, and for the implant alone Dianna would need R221 000, excluding further costs of replacing batteries or parts, programming the device when needed, and travel and accommodation costs over the following five years when she needs to go for follow-ups.
"Any donation will help. Every little bit counts," says Dianna, who is using funds from her provident fund to cover an initial scan this month. "I want to hear my children sing."
To assist Dianna, contact her on 073 098 3060, or 044 382 5521 (working hours).
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