“I know my family has genetic hearing impairment, and the unexpected pregnancy made me uneasy. I feel bad and guilty that Hana could not avoid hearing impairment, but I was forced to accept the fact. I hope my girl can grow up like an ordinary person and support herself in the future.”

A three-year-old girl, Hana Loh Zhi Han, from Gombak, Selangor, was normal during her mother’s prenatal examinations, and the doctor did not find anything unusual after she was born. The child began babbling when she was one and could make repeated sounds, such as mama, popo (grandma), mum-mum, bye-bye, and some other words.

At the age of two, she spoke very few vocabularies. Her parents brought her to a doctor, and it was confirmed that their only daughter was deaf in both ears. The doctor suggested she wear hearing aids first and have cochlear implant surgery within the Golden Window. Her helpless parents hoped to ask for RM165,750 in medical expenses.

【The doctor suggested she undergo surgery before four to avoid a negative impact on her development】

Her mother went for prenatal examinations, and the results were all normal, and the girl had no significant health problems at birth. Hana has been babbling since childhood, but her parents found that her language development stagnated as she grew up. At first, they thought she was slow in learning to speak, but the parents began to worry when she could only say some simple repetitive words at two years old.

As there are relatives in the family who are deaf, the parents worried that the girl had hereditary hearing loss. They took the child to the hospital for examination in February last year. After hearing and sleep tests, the doctor found that the vibration frequency of her eardrum was abnormal. The doctor later confirmed that her left ear had only 10% hearing ability and the right ear had only 30%, which was classified as severe deafness. At that time, the doctor suggested that she wear hearing aids and attend speech therapy sessions.

The doctor later recommended Hana undergo cochlear implant surgery in both ears within the golden window. However, the cost was too high, and the parents could not afford it. Therefore, they turned to One Hope Charity for assistance.

Her 46-year-old father, Loh Yi Ji, is a delivery man with a salary of about RM4,000. Her 45-year-old mother, Yoo Sui Len, is a production and planning administrator, earning RM4,250 monthly. The girl is their only daughter.

After reviewing the case and a home visit, One Hope Charity decided to assist Hana in raising all the medical expenses she needed. Her parents agreed to fully authorise One Hope Charity to take charge of the fundraising and collect donations from the well-wishers on their behalf. Call One Hope Charity‘s hotline at 04-539 9212, 016-4192 192, 019-2322 192 or 018-911 4192 if you have any questions.