The dream of parents of sixyear- old Ademola Mauyan was for him to acquire qualitative and functional education, live a fulfilled life and contribute to country’s development. But the dream seems to be crashing like a pack of cards. Ademola’s travails started when he was seven months’ old, after he was struck by a prolonged sickness and diagnosed with meningitis.
The condition resulted to hearing impairment which has affected his speech development. Ademola has been in and out of hospitals since his first admission on May 15, 2010. According to a medical report by Dr. Irene Okeke-Igbokwe of Nigerian Army Audio Logical Centre, Yaba, Lagos on September 13, 2010, “Ademola was discovered to be unable to localise to the maximum output of audiometry conducted to determine the integrity of cochlear functions.”
In simple terms, the six-year-old could no longer respond to sounds. Based on this development, Okeke-Igbokwe recommended that his parents should acquire for him early intervention amplification, speech evaluation therapy and total communication as well as habitation in his daily activities.
However, on the recommendation, the parents got a hearing aid valued at N400,000, with a recharging battery every two weeks which is done at between N3,000 and N7,000 per session. But, unfortunately, the prescriptions failed to achieve the needed respite, as Ademola’s hearing did not improve.
His father, Deacon Joseph Babalola, a self-employed economist, lamented how his son’s ailment has drastically affected his business. To undergo the surgery, Ademola will require N6.5 million as the cost of the Cochlea implant. To help Ademola regain his speech, well-spirited individuals and organisations can contact the editor.
