Download a short video clip of a little girl - It was shown during the celebration of the recent Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation to announce its humanitarian, relief and societal achievements - a humanitarian story that took place in Dubai, which was starred by a Filipino child, whose name is "Hana Sarmiento".
Hannah was born with severe hearing loss, soon to turn into a disability. Her parents felt sad, believing that she would be "a prisoner of silence" throughout her life, but the life of the child was changed after their asylum to the Al Jalila Foundation, one of Muhammad Bin Rashid's global initiatives, as she provided her with what she calls the girl overwhelmingly "magic ear".
The video clip shows how "Hana" has transformed from a deaf, dumb girl to another, happy, vibrant, and naturally merging with other children.
The mother of "Hana", teacher Annalin Sarmiento, told "Emirates Today" that she gave birth to her daughter after she and her husband had a problem with childbearing, which lasted for four years, and then discovered a year after her birth that she had hearing impairment.
She added that "Hana" began to lose his hearing gradually, 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 had proven to be hindered by deafness.
“The results of the tests were shocking to us,” she said. For the first time, I see my husband crying warmly as he cuddles his daughter, who has been waiting for us for four whole years. We had no hope. Deafness in our country is not easily addressed, which means that we cannot talk to our daughter, or hear her voice. ”
She confirmed that they had gone through difficult days, that they visited the "HairLife" hearing clinic in Dubai Healthcare City, which is one of the partners of the Al Jalila Foundation, and they returned to them again when they learned that it was possible for "Hana" to restore hearing to the cochlear implant, but they faced another challenge. It is the high cost of the operation, as it exceeds 150,000 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 - spoke the words "mom" 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 informs her daughter of this, until 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 to transform into a child who fills vocal life, not comparable to any other happiness, stressing that "society The Emirati deserves praise for his citizens and residents, without their donations and contributions, this change would not have occurred, and this happiness would not be achieved.
Shahadad added that the "Hana" 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 implanting a cochlea, but it is an expensive process, and for this 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 although she was subjected to rehabilitation sessions twice a week, they were completing the rehabilitation program at home, until she spoke and sang, even if she responded To talk surpasses her peers who suffer the same problem ».
And Shahdad confirmed that the "Hana" case is not the only one, as the institution undertook to treat dozens of similar cases.
18 million dirhams
During the past year, the total contributions of the Jalila Institutions Aoun Program to providing medical care exceeded 18 million dirhams, benefiting 235 patients, in addition to some 4.9 million dirhams allocated to support medical research and studies.