A young girl from Stratford, Ont. can hear for the first time thanks to a new procedure performed in London. Shortly after her birth, Danny and Jacquelyn Lee were told their daughter Savannah would never hear a sound. Enter London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) Surgeon Dr. Demir Bajin and a technique he performed while working overseas. He offered the Lee family a chance for Savannah to hear using a new auditory implant. But, it would require brain surgery. “We need to expose the brain stem to put the implant in,” said Bajin. The procedure came with risks. “But the risks were pretty low, we were told,” Danny recalled. “Because they had been so well versed in this whole procedure, that it helped us decide really easily to move forward with it.” The four-hour surgery took place last year, and it didn’t take long for Savannah to advance. Once the new pediatric auditory brainstem implant (ABI) was turned on, she turned her head when she heard her first clap. “It is very rewarding to see such a clear sign of hearing on the day we activated the device,” recalled audiologist Laura Hopkins. “And we had some nice clear signs of hearing, looking up and turning towards sounds, which is fantastic on day one.” It was the response her parents had been waiting for, and a stark turn in the prognosis doctors had told them to expect just two years before. “We were actually told to continue with signing because that would be our only option,” said Danny. Since surgery, Savannah has begun to talk. Dr. Bajin suggests her communication advancements demonstrate why more children are slated to undergo the procedure in the coming months. “So, this is essentially the only choice that these kids have to develop language skills and hear any sound. So, if you do it on time, which we did for this child, they will develop normal language skills.” “When you actually hear the words, you feel kind of better and the pressure’s off,” expressed Jacquelyn. “You feel like, like a way it’s been kind of like a weight has been lifted off a bit.” “It’s just fantastic,” added Danny. “I feel a lot of doors have been opened to see a lot more children with the same issues in the future, and you know, have an element here with this device to be able to hear.”
