Anthony

Four-year-old Anthony, of Malanda in North Queensland, can’t wait for his first day of Prep this year – and thanks to the two cochlear implants he received in 2012, he will be able to savour every sound of the classroom and the playground.

Anthony was diagnosed with a bilateral hearing loss (both ears) shortly after a routine newborn hearing screening detected a possible problem. Several weeks and tests later, doctors determined that Anthony was a suitable candidate for cochlear implants. Then, when he was eight months, Anthony underwent surgery to have his implants inserted.

His mother Helga said she will never forget the day he heard with both ears for the first time.

“He was only eight months and unable to talk when they turned his second implant on, but the look on his face and his reaction clearly shouted “I can hear out of both ears!”’

“I think he knew he was missing sound – and he was pretty good at accepting all the noise around when he got the implants.”

Following his surgery, Anthony worked with speech pathologists for the next three years to help develop his speaking and language skills.

“He caught up really quick and one day, when he was three, we realised he didn’t need a speech pathologist anymore. Everyone was amazed!,” Helga said.

And we’re sure he’ll amaze everyone at school, too!

Have a great first day, Anthony.