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NHS of Guy and St Thomas
Seven-year-old Leia Armitage lived in total silence for the first two years of her life, but thanks to innovative brain surgery and years of therapy, she has found her voice and can finally tell her parents that she loves them.
"We were told that you could put a bomb behind her and that she would not hear it at all if she rang," said Leia's father Bob, recalling having discovered that their little one daughter was suffering from a rare deafness.
Leia, from Dagenham in Essex, had no inner ear or hearing nerve, which meant that even standard hearing aids or cochlear implants would not help.
As a result, one was not expecting what she's talking about, but despite the risks, her parents fought for her to be one of the first UK children to receive a brainstem auditory implant, requiring complex brain surgery at the age of two years.
The NHS England qualifies the operation as "a real life change" and has announced that it will fund the implant for other deaf children in a similar situation.
It is estimated that about 15 children per year will be evaluated for the procedure and 9 more will undergo surgery.
Hear the cars ring
According to Bob, opting for this type of brain surgery was a huge decision for them, but "we wanted to give Leia the best opportunity in life".
He and his wife Alison hoped that after the operation at the NHS Foundation Trust of Guy and St Thomas, she would be able to hear things like car horn blaring when she was crossing the road to make it safer in the world.
However, in the five years since the operation, its progress has been much greater than expected.
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NHS of Guy and St Thomas
Leia with his parents, Bob and Alison, and his brother Jacob
It started slowly, Leia turning her head to the sound of the train gates that close shortly after the operation.
Little by little, she began to understand the concept of her as her parents were constantly repeating the words, asking her to imitate the sound.
Now, after many regular speech and language therapies, she can compose complete sentences, try to sing to the rhythm of the music and hear voices on the phone.
"We can call her upstairs when we are downstairs and she will hear us," Bob explains.
"I like you …"
But it's in an ordinary school, in a classroom with hearing-impaired children, where Leia really steals thanks to assistants who use sign language and give her a lot of one-on-one time.
"She's picking up more and more and she's not far behind others of her age for most things," Bob said.
At home, using her voice is what her parents like most.
"I love you dad" is probably the best thing I've heard, "says Bob.
"When I put her in bed, she now says" good mom's night ", which I never thought I'd hear," says Alison.
Advanced surgery involves inserting a device directly into the brain to stimulate the auditory pathways in children born without cochlea or auditory nerves.
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Getty Images
The implant is inserted directly into the brain next to the brainstem at the bottom of the brain
A microphone and a sound processor worn on the side of the head then transmit the sound to the implant.
This electrical stimulation can provide auditory sensations, but it can not promise to restore normal hearing.
However, Professor Dan Jiang, consultant otologist and clinical director of the Hearing Implant Center of the NHS Guy & # 39; s Foundation and St Thomas, said that some children could develop a certain degree of speech.
"The results are variable, some will do better than others," he said.
"They have to adapt and the younger kids do better, so we prefer to insert the implant as soon as possible, if possible."
Children under five are best placed to learn new sound concepts and to respond to intensive therapy, he said.
Susan Daniels, Executive Director of the National Deaf Children's Society, said: "Every deaf child is different and for some, a technology like brainstem auditory implants may be the right option and can make a huge difference in their life.
"With adequate support, deaf children can succeed as well as their peers, and this investment is another important step towards a society where no deaf child is left behind."
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