When newborn Isabella Redway failed a hearing screening three times, her parents had a clear indication there was an issue.
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That initial testing was the first of many weeks of “back and forth” for the little girl, who was eventually fitted with a cochlear implant at the age of 18 months.
That back and forth, mum Teresa said, was to establish the best course of action for Isabella.
“They had to do a lot of testing, then she went on to a waiting list,” Mrs Redway said.
“We were going to a Hear and Say centre in Queensland, where we were living. At first, they said she might get away with not having the implant.
“She wasn’t completely deaf. She was moderate in one ear and moderate to severe in the other. So they gave her hearing aids at first.
“They kept adjusting them, but it got to the point they were as loud as they could go, but her hearing had deteriorated and she could no longer hear anything.”
Mrs Redway said it took Isabella a while to adjust to her changed world after she had the implants.
“She was a little bit scared at first. She had a little bit of a cry. She hadn’t really heard anything before,” Mrs Redway said.
“After we left the hospital, we went back to the motel and the TV was on, and she walked up to the TV and started banging her hands on it because she didn’t know it had sound.
“Afterwards it was really good, but she didn’t have the initial smile.
“She adapted pretty quickly.”
Isabella’s hearing loss is believed to have been caused by Cytomegalovirus (CMV), which Mrs Redway was exposed to while pregnant.
The virus, which feels like a simple cold, can cause heath issues for babies exposed to it in utero.
But now, Isabella is busy being an eight-year-old.
She attends St Joseph’s Primary School and undergoes some speech and occupational therapy.
Her proud mum is keen to dispel some myths about children who have experienced hearing loss.
“Children with hearing issues are like every other child. Isabella is going to a mainstream school,” she said
“Swimming can be difficult, because the implants needs to go in a special case when she goes swimming.
“But she can do every other thing like a child her age.”
Since moving to Wagga three years ago, Isabella has had her regular checks at the Shepherd Centre in Canberra, which Mrs Redway’s colleagues at RSM on Friday supported by wearing their “loudest” shirts in a new twist on dress-down Fridays.
As well as enjoying a fundraising money tea, the staff were able to have their own hearing tested.