The gift of speech and sound is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted, and Oxley mum Kaitlyn D’Ambrogio knows that better than most.
Her 16-month-old son Byron has hearing loss and is supported by leading children’s charity, The Shepherd Centre, whose services support children like Byron to have an equal and bright future.
“We found out Byron had hearing loss while he was in the hospital, and he didn’t pass the newborn screening tests. They brought us in to do them four times before we were sent in for further testing, and that’s when he was diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss,” Ms D’Ambrogio said.
“We were a bit shocked because we just weren’t expecting it and he was so little, so we weren’t sure if it was going to be associated with other problems. It took a bit of time to process.”
The first four weeks of Byron’s life was filled with uncertainty. How severe is his hearing loss? What can he hear? What can’t he hear? Will he have associated problems in the future?
But through the guidance and support of The Shepherd Centre, they have a greater understanding of what Byron’s hearing loss means for him and their family.
“We started at The Shepherd Centre when he was about four months old, and we had a lot of questions about his hearing loss and which options we should take. We were unsure of whether to give him hearing aids or just watch and wait, and they didn’t push us one way or the other but helped us understand the two options,” Ms D’Ambrogio said.
“I suppose the interesting thing with making the decision to get him hearing aids is that everyone said they could see the difference in him as soon as he got them, and that was all helped by The Shepherd Centre.”
Byron and his big brother, three-and-a-half-year-old Tarquin, have become good friends now, and she said they have really started to play together.
“Having Byron compared to Tarquin hasn’t been too different actually, other than navigating the using of hearing aids,” Ms D’Ambrogio said.
“We’re probably just more aware of how our environment might be affecting his hearing ability.”
When asked what she hopes for Byron’s future, she becomes quiet for a moment.
“That’s a good question,” she ponders.
“We would just hope and like for him to have access to the same experiences as everyone else, I guess.”
That’s why The Shepherd Centre’s services and support are crucial for families like Byron’s; hence the Centre’s tireless efforts to raise awareness of children with hearing loss, including fundraisers like Loud Shirt Day.
“It’s been such a great source of community and introducing the kids to other kids with different levels of hearing loss, and having that support from others,” Ms D’Ambrogio said.
“The Shepherd Centre is helping kids to begin school with the same functional listening skills as other kids, but awareness is still so important and fundraising days like Loud Shirt Day.”
#LoudShirtDay is on Friday 22 October, and all Australians are encouraged to rock their brightest clothing to raise funds for The Shepherd Centre to continue their important work with kids with hearing loss.
“All four of us have matching ‘loud’ shirts and at my physiotherapy business we’re wearing them for the whole week,” Ms D’Ambrogio said.
To find out how you can get involved and support #LoudShirtDay, head to loudshirtday.com.au
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