How Zu lost her hearing

On the first Monday of May 2008, 3-year old Zuri came down with a high fever. By Wednesday she was hospitalized and by the following week, she had lost her hearing. Turns out Zu had contracted bacterial meningitis and the infection had damaged both of her cochlea so they are now unable to interpret and transmit sound coming into her outer ear to her brain. In the space of a week, her world went silent.

Both the audiologist and the ENT specialist agree that she would do well with cochlear implants (also see this link), a device which acts as a kind of middle-man, receiving sound directly and transmitting the signals directly to the brain. This would allow her to hear again - not in the same way as before, but she would be able to recognize sounds, speech, music etc. No! - hearing aids would not help her. They act like speakers, amplifying sound, but the degree of amplification she needs is too great.

Through the quick action and interest of a friend (thanks sooooooo much Sonja!) we have been in touch with the NYU Med Centre, a leading institution in the field of cochlear implants and research. Doctors there agree that Zu seems a perfect candidate and they are working with us to get her up there as soon as possible.

There are two problems however : (1) The procedure and the implants are costly and (2) CT scans show that bone is starting to grow in Zu's inner ear where the electrode for the implant should be placed. Once bone takes hold, the procedure becomes far more difficult if not impossible. This process called calcification or ossification normally takes place within 2 months of the meningitis infection. Zu's infection took place at the beginning of May. 

The hospital has brought down the cost of the procedure dramatically to something we can actually manage, but the cost of the implants remains prohibitive - US$60,000 per 1 (more than $360,000 Trinidad & Tobago dollars ... and she needs two! )

We know that it's difficult to raise this amount of money, particularly given the short time frame - but NOT IMPOSSIBLE! Think of it as TT$300/US$50 from about 2400 people! Or TT$600/US$100 from just 1200 people!

Our Ask:

We are still hopeful and positive that somehow, this miracle will happen - through the kindness of the people at the Cochlear Corporation, New York University Medical Centre and with the help of family, friends and corporate T&T we will somehow raise enough to MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

So, if you can be one of Zuri's 2000 angels, please help us! Also, please check with your company to see if they may be willing to help. We can send an official letter if required and in return, we're willing to help raise awareness among staff about bacterial meningitis by sharing our story. Feel free to share this email and our story with others!

Hope & Blessings:

Still, we have been truly blessed both before and during this journey. Zu is still with us, able to communicate by reading lips and her speech is still clear. She is still bright and bubbly and as much as it breaks our heart that she can't hear us, we know it could have been much worse.

We have a fabulous pediatrician, the doctors at Mt. Hope were fantastic in helping to identify and treat the infection in quick time and they have been extremely supportive ever since. We were able to get early appointments with an audiologist, an ENT specialist and a speech therapist (tho these are few and far between here in T&T). Not to mention, her case has been taken up by one of the leading researchers in the field is just amazing!

These are ALL miracles in themselves and we HAVE FAITH that God would not bring us this far and have Zu go through so much to turn us back, so there MUST be something good ahead!

Finally ...

Please remember, there is a vaccine that can prevent this particular strain of bacterial meningitis, so those of you with young kids, especially if you live in the Caribbean where it's not always mandatory because it's so rare, talk to your pediatrician/family doctor. It's expensive but believe us, it would be worth it in the long run.

We thank all our family and friends for the tremendous outpouring of support - financial and otherwise. Please share this with others in your circle! In a world of 6 Billion, all Zu needs is a couple thousand!

Love & Blessings

Nicole, Dion, Zuri & Jaz (the 4-footed "child")