Gael’s Gift of Hearing
We met Gael in 2017 when we was 5 years old, living in a children’s shelter in Bucerias. Gael was profoundly deaf, but had never been seen by a doctor to determine the cause of his hearing loss or the prognosis for its correction. After appointments with many specialists, we were thrilled to learn that Gael was a perfect candidate to receive a Cochlear Implant. A fundraising campaign was kicked off and 5 months later Gael received his implant. Because of the generosity of so many, Gael can now hear. Now he must learn what sound means. Language. Speech. Education. There is still a long road ahead for Gael and we have committed to supporting him until he is an adult. We have hired a full time assistant, Laura, to go with Gael to public school each day, to help him with his homework and therapy. In fact, Gael has now left the Children’s shelter and is living with Laura and her family throughout the week. This enables him to receive more intensive attention as he learns. We also have a speech therapist, Alma, who work with Gael twice a week. He goes to Guadalajara every 2 months to meet with the audiologist who adjusts the implant for optimum sound quality.
All of this means we will be raising funds for Gael’s care for many years. It is not enough that he received the gift of sound, now he must learn how to use it in his own daily life. His story is just beginning – please continue to support this sweet child on his journey of hope!
Gael’s Gift of Hearing Facebook page
Watch Gael’s Story (2018) and a recent Update (2020)
