Download a short video clip of a little girl - presented during the celebration of the recent Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Initiatives Foundation to announce her humanitarian, relief and community achievements - a humanitarian story that took place in Dubai, starring a Filipina girl, whose name is "Hannah Sarmiento".
Hannah was born with severe hearing impairment, soon to turn into a disability. Her parents felt sad that they would not be able to hear her voice, believing that she would be "a prisoner of silence" throughout her life. But the life of the child was transformed after they took refuge in the Jalila Foundation, one of the arms of Muhammad bin Rashid’s global initiatives, as it provided her with what she calls an “magic ear” overwhelmingly.
The video clip shows how Hana has transformed from a deaf, dumb girl to another, happy, vibrant, and naturally merging with other children.
Hanna's mother, teacher Annalin Sarmiento, told «Emirates Today» that she gave birth to her baby daughter after she and her husband faced a four-year reproductive problem, and then discovered a year after she was born that she was hearing impaired.
She added that Hana gradually started losing her hearing, until she lost it completely in the right ear, compared to 30% in the left.
And she said, "The situation was painful for all of us, so we must touch her until she realizes that someone is calling or asking her."
She indicated that she and her husband initially thought the problem was temporary. But hearing tests have proven that she suffers from deafness.
“The results of the tests were shocking to us,” she said. For the first time, I see my husband crying warmly as he embraces his daughter, who has been waiting for us for four whole years. Hope was lacking for us. Deafness in our country is not easily addressed, which means that we cannot talk to our daughter, or hear her voice. ”
She affirmed that they had gone through difficult days that they visited the "HairLife" hearing clinic in Dubai Healthcare City, one of the partners of the Al Jalila Foundation, and hope came back to them again when he learned that it was possible for Hana to regain hearing about the cochlear implant, but they faced another challenge, which is the high cost For the operation, as it exceeds 150 thousand dirhams.
The mother added that the clinic transferred them to the "Aoun" program to support the treatment of the Galila Foundation, which undertook the operation, and paid more than 174,000 dirhams. After only five months, Hana, who was two and a half years old, uttered the words "my mother" and "my father" for the first time in her life, to find great joy at home after a long period of sadness and anxiety. Over time, the girl learned to read, enrolled in school, and she is currently receiving distance education, in light of the Corona crisis, like all of her peers.
And her mother said: "My daughter's life was completely changed thanks to the Al Jalila Foundation. We could not sponsor the operation without the Foundation's contribution," noting that she constantly tells her daughter so that she realizes the value of the bid and its importance when she grows up.
She added that Hana deals naturally with her schoolmates, and when someone asks her about the device installed in her ear, she says: "This is my magic ear, I cannot hear without it," stressing that she does not compare herself with other children, and is proud of her ear that does not resemble the ears of others.
On the other hand, Aisha Shahdad, director of the "Supporting Therapy" program at the Jalila Foundation, said that happiness is associated with changing the life of a child who does not hear or speak, by helping him transform into a child who fills the vocal life, not comparable to any other happiness, stressing that "society The Emirati deserves praise for his citizens and residents, had it not been for their donations and contributions, this change would not have occurred and this happiness would not have been achieved.
Shahdad added that Hana's case is one of the unforgettable cases, as she responded to the treatment program in a way that exceeded expectations, noting that "her parents tried with her initially through a specialized headset for five months, but to no avail." Doctors emphasized the necessity of cochlear implantation, but it is an expensive process. That is why they decided to resort to the Galila Foundation. Fortunately, the foundation was launching a cochlear implant program for children, so her condition was adopted, and the result was amazing. ”
She added that «her parents played a big role in the change that occurred, in addition to their efforts to treat their daughter, they cared a lot about her condition, and despite the fact that she was subjected to rehabilitation sessions twice a week, they were completing the rehabilitation program at home until she spoke and sang, but that her response to the conversation exceeded her peers Those who suffer from the same problem ».
Shehadad confirmed that Hana's case is not the only one, as the foundation has taken care of treating dozens of similar cases.