Ester

Eleven-year-old Ester has overcome much in her short life. Diagnosed with congenital heart disease while still in her mother’s womb, she needed open-heart heart surgery before her first birthday to repair faulty heart valves.

The surgery gave her a second chance at life, but a rare complication left her struggling to find her voice.

“Ester was left with some vocal cord damage, but we didn’t discover this straight away,” her mum Cassia said. “She really struggled to raise her voice, even her cry was soft.

It was at kindergarten and primary school that Ester’s parents really started to notice the effect it was having on her.

“Ester’s voice had become very soft and breathy. Peers and teachers couldn’t hear her,” Cassia said.

“It impacted her confidence and her ability to make friends, even to the point where she gave up playing with other kids for a while.”

Ester has seen multiple specialists at the Queensland Children’s Hospital since birth due to her heart issues, but speech therapy has also played an important role in her recovery and ongoing care. The therapy has helped her find the best way to communicate and learn to eat without any assistance.

“Ester started to find her voice and would even start talking during her appointments.

“She wanted to start being a part of the discussions that involved her health, and even at home I am now starting to see her taking initiative and owning her own care, doing things like reminding me to give her medication.”

Ester continues to receive speech therapy, alongside her appointments with the endocrinology, general paediatrics, cardiac and ENT departments.

“I think Ester still needs her mum to advocate for her and to help her communicate, but I think very soon she will be the one calling the shots,” Cassia said.

“Ester is currently going from strength to strength and is loving her sports, art and technology.

“Seeing her come out of her shell more, being more involved in everyday life and finding her voice is truly inspirational to not only me, but all those around her.

“Ester is the bravest person I know, she has endured a lot of painful medical procedures and yet she hasn’t let that change her sunny personality,” Esters mum, Cassia said.